Hollywood Life
by X.G. Sky
Summary: Rachel leaves Broadway to pursue a career in Hollywood, so she goes to L.A. Quinn is an actor who lives in Hollywood with her husband and two year old daughter named Sarah. What will happen when they meet again? This is a future!fic and sort of canon as far as high school goes. (COMPLETE)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Disclaimer- I do not own Glee or any of it's characters. This is a work of fiction and any similarities and references are completely coincidental or used solely to mimic realism.

A/N 2: This story will fluctuate between Rachel's p.o.v. and Quinn's.

Rachel's p.o.v.

The flight attendant awakens her before the plane touches down and she begins to gather her belongings. Her watch reads three o'clock, which means it is noon here in Los Angeles, California. She grabs her bag from the baggage claim and rolls it to her cab. The driver puts her bags in the trunk and then drives her to her destination for the next month, a Hilton Homewood suite that she booked before leaving New York. Rachel saved up quite a bit of money to travel to L.A. from her two-year stint in an original role on Broadway. She began the workshop while still in college and stayed with the show for two years after it started on Broadway. Now she was ready to venture out to Hollywood to look for work as an actor.

Her suite at the Hilton is exactly as described, very homelike. There is a kitchenette with a fridge and stove. There is a living room with couches and a bedroom with a queen-sized bed. The bathroom is spacious with a whirlpool tub and shower. It is a lot bigger than her apartment back in New York. Rachel settles in and unpacks her bags before calling Kurt to let him know that she made it to L.A.

After talking to Kurt for a while, Rachel decides to take a nap before going out and exploring the city. She wakes up a couple of hours later, showers and then gets dressed. It is supposedly winter here, but it seems as if L.A. did not get the memo so she puts on some tight jeans, an off shoulder tee paired with black ballet flats because she will be doing a lot of walking. She also puts on her over-sized Chanel sunglasses before heading out. She asks the cab driver about tourist attractions and he gives her a L.A. tour guide that she peruses before asking to go to the walk of fame.

She stops in her tracks when she sees it, the star she has been waiting to see her entire life. She takes out her camera and snaps a picture of Barbra Streisand's star. Rachel feels embarrassed tearing up over a star on the sidewalk while people nonchalantly pass over them without a second look. She cannot believe that she made it all the way to Hollywood from New York, just like Barbra. She feels like there is nothing she cannot do here. One day she will have a star of her own on this very street, hopefully it is near Barbra's. _That_, would be divine, she thinks. A homeless man bumps into her effectively knocking her out of her daydream and startling her at the same time. She apologizes even though he bumped into her and carries on walking down the historic street taking pictures only every once in a while.

The sun begins to set around five pm and Rachel realizes that she has not eaten much since she left New York. She consults the tour guide for local restaurants and decides to go to Geisha House for some sushi. She loves it so much that she orders some sushi to take back to the hotel with her. Rachel almost forgets that she has to call for a taxi instead of hailing one as she does back home. That will take some getting used to. She pops her food into the fridge, changes into pajamas and goes to bed around nine o'clock.

The sun shines brightly through the blinds causing a ribbon of light to wake Rachel up by shining across her eyes. She will have to get used to the sun being present all of the time here in L.A. She gets up and checks the clock, it is eight o'clock am so she grabs her cell and dials up her friend April that works at GS Management. The GS stands for Gold Star, and that is one of the main reasons Rachel decided to work with this management company.

"GS Management this is April speaking,"

"Hello April, this is Rachel Berry,"

"Hey Rachel, are you in L.A. yet because we received your headshots and I have a few auditions set up for you."

"Wow, yes I got in yesterday. So do you need me to come in?"

"Yes Mrs. Nolan wants to meet with you to see what you have to work with, style wise. You know how it is."

"Okay, do you have any tips for what she might want me to wear?"

"Right, um, okay try to keep things simple, no baggy clothes or chunky jewelry. You don't want to wear any busy patterns." Rachel learned that lesson back in college when she showed up to an audition wearing an argyle sweater. The casting director tore her to pieces over her outfit and she remembers going back to her dorm crying and bagging up all of her sweaters and plaid vowing never to wear them again.

"Got it. What about color? Is there something that she _hates_ to see?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure just don't go too dark, she wants to be able to see your shape."

"Okay, thank you so much April this means a lot to me."

"You're welcome and come in around one pm okay, after she has eaten her lunch. You should be good to go after that. Good luck."

"Thank you again, bye." She runs over to her closet to search through her clothes to see if anything she has meets the criteria.

She eats her free breakfast that she special ordered vegan then she takes a shower and spends some time fluffing her natural curls back into shape. She carefully applies some simple makeup and puts on her outfit, a short skirt to show off her legs and a form fitting white top to keep things simple. She wears her only pair of black stiletto Louboutin heels to give herself some height. She is out the door by noon and takes a taxi to GS arriving fifteen minutes later.

Before walking through the doors she takes a few minutes to calm down and give herself a little pep talk. She jumps up and down a little like she would before going on stage to ease her nerves. After a few more deep breaths, she walks in and tells the receptionist her name and she is told to go into a waiting room. There are three people already sitting in the waiting room. One guy and two girls, all sitting down reading through magazines so Rachel grabs one and does the same. Those people get called in one by one as others arrive to take their places. Rachel feels herself grow more on edge when she sees a girl exit Mrs. Nolan's office in tears.

A man whom she guesses is Mrs. Nolan's assistant, calls her name and she stands up, smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt as she walks towards the door. He leads her through another door that reads 'Tammy Nolan Talent Manager' on the door. She is a woman about forty-five to fifty years of age, blond, dressed in expensive looking clothes. She looks Rachel up and down before asking her to take a seat. Rachel cannot read the blank expression on her face, so she assumes the worst.

"Hello Rachel, let's see, my name is Tammy Nolan and I see you have been working on Broadway for a while. What kind of work you lookin' for here in L.A.?"

"Well, um as you said I have been on Broadway for several years now and I wanted to come to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. I am mostly known for my vocal abilities but I want to gain some notoriety as an actor, singularly."

"Okay, so TV, movies, you want romantic or comedy? Are you funny? Can you dance?"

"I will take whatever I can get at first and yes I find myself to be quite funny, but I may need to work on my dancing."

"Alright, stand up so I can take a look at you," Rachel swallows thickly and stands up. Tammy guides her to hold her arms out and then to turn around a few times. Tammy has her assistant come in and snap some pictures of her and then she is told to sit back down.

"Okay I have a few suggestions for you. First and foremost, you need to straighten your hair, it's too curly. Hold back on the tanning and I need you to tighten up your midsection a little bit, you know add some crunches into your regiment. Your legs are gorgeous, thank you for wearing that skirt. Umm, but I have to honest with you, you may have a hard time with some casting directors because of your look."

"My look?"

"Yes, I mean you're very, ethnic. You look like so many different races, and you could probably pull off Latino, but to be real, most directors are looking for skinny white girls with big boobs. I know, it may sound discouraging, but I'm going to help you out as much as I can, okay."

"Okay,"

"So, it was nice to meet you, I'll have my assistant Josh call you up with your first audition as soon as possible."

"It was nice to meet you too Mrs. Nolan. Thank you very much for your time." Rachel lets go of a breath that she did not know she had been holding in when she leaves the building. She almost begins to hyperventilate but she tries to calm herself before she bursts into tears in the middle of the sidewalk. Her cab ride back to the hotel allows her to simmer on the information that she hasn't fully processed. It is not the first time Rachel has been told that she looked a bit too ethnic, she lost out on a few roles on Broadway because of it. But when Tammy Nolan, the biggest talent agent in Hollywood tells you something like that, she knows what she is talking about. She is friends with every prominent casting director in L.A. She knows a lot of producers, directors and actors in the industry. If you want to make it, you need to be under her management.

Rachel goes to Target and buys a hair straightening iron and an Ab-flexor machine that she saw on TV the other night. She also plans to go to the hotel's gym when she gets back. After using the elliptical for thirty minutes, she heads back up to her room and takes a long hot bath to ease her sore muscles. She eats that sushi from yesterday for dinner and then she decides to do her hair. It has been a long time since she last straightened her hair. She gets through most of it before her arms get tired but she powers through it and finishes before going to bed.

It has been a couple of weeks since her first audition and today is her very first callback. She and another girl are being considered for a guest spot on a sit-com. She dresses in a revealing top to be sure that the casting will know that she can be sexy. When she arrives, the other walks out and smirks at her on her way out. She is also brunette, but much taller and thinner than Rachel. She does the read through and they tell her that they will call her. She knows by now not to get her hopes up about any of these auditions but this was her first callback so she holds out a little hope. A week later and no call has Rachel feeling extremely nervous about her chances out here.

Money is becoming an issue since she decided to rent a car this month as well as her Homewood suite costs. It is going on her third month in L.A. and Rachel has been mildly depressed from the constant rejection she feels every time she does not get the part. There is no one here to complain to in Hollywood, you just have to suck it up and keep trying. That is becoming increasingly more difficult as time goes on with no revenue to keep her stable. She has a hard time finding cheap vegan food choices at the grocery store, so she stocks up on veggies when they go on sale from time to time. She hadn't considered the high price of renting a car for a month, good thing she got a hybrid, otherwise she would have to worry about gas as well.

She calls up April in the middle of March to ask about alternative sources of income for clients of GS management.

"Hello April, this is Rachel Berry,"

"Oh how's it going? You get another callback?"

"Unfortunately no, but I was calling to ask if you had any options for me to make some money out here."

"Oh sure, I actually have the perfect job. It is easy and you make a lot of money for little work."

"It's not anything unsavory is it?"

"What? Ha-ha, no silly, it's a babysitting job."

"Oh great, sign me up then. I have never done it before, but it can't be that hard."

"Okay cool, it's a company called CFS and it stands for Christian Family Services so don't mention that you're Jewish and you should be gold okay."

"Okay," April gives Rachel the number to call the company and they ask her for her information over the phone. Rachel feels a little wary about giving out her social security number but the woman on the phone tells her it is for a background check. She tells Rachel that they will call her in a week to let her know if she has been approved.

She gets the call at eight o'clock in the morning on a Wednesday and almost missed it because she had been asleep. CFS had approved her for their services and she got a job for that night. The family lives in Beverly Hills and she had to use an intercom to be let into the gates to get to the house. The man and woman are dressed in classy evening wear and introduce themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. She is also introduced to little James and Jennifer ages five and seven years old. CFS already provided her with a file on the family that includes any allergy information and emergency contacts so they leave after a brief goodbye to their kids.

Rachel allows them to watch cartoons until eight o'clock pm and then she helps them get ready for bed and they are asleep by nine. This allows her two hours of lounging around a mansion by herself. She could get used to this. When the Johnson's arrive back home, they go upstairs to check on the kids and Mr. Johnson comes back down and hands her a hundred dollar bill. She was told that she could accept tips even though she gets paid through the company, but had no idea it would be that much. She will be able to stay in L.A. for a long time with this kind of work. It isn't exactly what she wants in the long run, but it'll have to do in the mean time.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Disclaimer- I do not own Glee or any of it's characters. This is a work of fiction and any similarities and references are completely coincidental or used solely to mimic realism.

A/N 2: I am definitely taking liberties when it comes to the facts in this story. I have minor experience with the entertainment industry, so I used that. Reviews are appreciated. Thank you for reading. (Quinn's part is next, I'll post it soon.)

* * *

Rachel's p.o.v.

By the time April rolls around, Rachel has received several callbacks, from CFS, not any acting jobs. She beams every time she goes down to collect her weekly check from CFS. She has been enjoying her time spent around children everyday to keep her mind off the reason she has to do the job in the first place. This time, Rachel receives an offer for a live-in nanny position for a high profile client. She has to fill out a non-disclosure agreement before getting any more information on the case. They tell her that the clients are famous and have been turning down nannies left and right and she is next in line for the offer. The people seem to be meticulous, so Rachel doubts they will choose her, especially since she just started this job. She tells them that she will think about it and that she will call them if she wants it.

Rachel receives a phone call from GS management but a different number than April's.

"Rachel Berry, please," A woman asks on the line. Rachel assumes that it is Tammy by the smoky tone of her voice. She wonders why she would be calling her, maybe to drop her from the agency because she cannot find a job to save her life.

"Yes this is she,"

"Hello Rachel this is Tammy Nolan from GS management and I heard that you were having some trouble finding work, am I right?"

"Y-yes,"

"Well today is your lucky day. I just got a call from a producer at Nickelodeon and he told me about a upcoming project of his. He is looking for a triple-threat, a girl that can act, sing and dance well. The first person that came to mind was you so I gave him your name. Now my reputation is very important to me so I want you to impress those guys at the audition got it?"

"Sure, what do you need me to do?"

"I want you to come in before the audition so that I could go over what you will wear and what to say during the interview, okay? The audition is Friday afternoon so I need you here in the morning okay honey?"

"Yes, I'll be there. Thank you so much for this opportunity, it means a lot to me." Rachel punches in the time and date as a reminder on her phone she also writes a note and tapes it to her mirror to make sure not to forget about it.

They go over her speech about her background in musical theater and Josh brings in a few items of clothing for her to try on. Tammy gives her a hug before she goes off to the audition and everyone wishes her good luck on her way out. There is a bounce in her step as she walks into the studio and signs in. There are tons of other girls there, some of them with sheet music and some of them on the floor stretching. This is the busiest waiting room she has been to in L.A. It reminds her of the Broadway auditions in New York.

They hand her the script and she is told that she will be auditioning for the role of the best friend of a lead actress/singer on a musical high school show on Teen Nick. Rachel did a read through of the pilot script and memorized the entire thing after sitting for a couple of hours. She is thankful that she was allowed time to read it repeatedly before the read through. That way she could show off her ability to go off book at the drop of a hat. She feels extremely nervous after the audition is over even though she made no mistakes. This time they tell her to sit back down in the waiting room where several other girls are waiting as well. She takes this as a good sign, they are considering her for a callback. At the end of the day, a skinny bald man comes in and tells them all to come back Monday at one o'clock and to bring sheet music for three songs.

Rachel rushes back to the hotel to call Kurt to tell him the news. She had held off calling him after her last handful of auditions because of the embarrassment of having to tell him that she did not get them a week later.

"So what songs are you going to sing? You have the entire weekend to choose."

"I know I have to sing 'Maybe This Time' and I need a pop song since this is for Teen Nick so,"

"Oh okay how about that new Lady Gaga song. Everyone loves that. Plus the vocals are pretty melodic and will suit your voice well."

"Great okay I am searching for the lyrics right now on my tablet. What else you got?" They continue going over songs until Kurt brings up that Finn is now stationed in New York. Apparently, he got kicked out of the barracks in Korea. He also had to leave behind his Korean wife and child because they had some trouble with the embassy over there. Rachel found out about Finn's marriage via his profile update on Life Line back in December. She cannot say that she was shocked about him getting married, because a few months before that, she saw that he posted that he was going to be a Dad. She remembers yelling at Kurt for not telling her and he said that he was shocked as well.

Kurt mentioning Finn and his wife reminds Rachel about the day she picked up a Celeb Weekly to see Quinn Fabray on the cover with a headline stating 'We're Pregnant!' as she posed with her husband Timothy Blake. She remembers a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she read the article about Quinn's whirlwind romance with the actor/director that led to marriage and now a child. That was two years ago, and the moment she decided that she wanted to go to L.A. to become an A-list star as Quinn had done years ago.

After hanging up with Kurt, Rachel pulls the script out of her bag to read again. She really likes the premise for this show. It is about a new girl transferring to a performing arts high school where the group of kids put on a weekly performance of original songs. Rachel's part would be the nerdy girl turned best friend to the lead. The pilot starts off with the new girl being made fun of by these mean girls who make fun of her clothes. Rachel's character finds her crying in the bathroom and comforts her. She asks the new girl to join her circle of friends and they eat lunch together then break out into a song in the middle of the cafeteria. This is what Rachel remembers high school to be, she is reminded of the good old days back in glee club.

Monday morning arrives more quickly than Rachel expected. She wakes up early to work out in the gym before breakfast. She showers and then practices her songs as quietly as possible since she received a warning on Saturday night. She talked to Tammy a few times over the weekend and was given a few pointers on which shoes to wear since there would be dancing. Rachel gets dressed and makes sure her hair is styled perfectly before gathering her sheet music and stuffing it into her bag along with the script and a pair of dancing flats. She is ready by noon and down in the cab five minutes later.

The waiting room is less hectic this time with less people there. Some familiar faces among the group of girls in the room show her a tight-lipped smile when she walks in. The same skinny bald man greets them at twelve-thirty since they are all there early. Rachel notices that every girl comes back after singing their songs which means they are probably going to have to dance next. The skinny bald man along with two other women, listen to Rachel sing her heart out. They even applaud after she finishes.

They are led into a dance studio where they meet a choreographer who runs through some dance steps with them. Rachel stumbles through the rehearsal at first, she begins to get it after an hour. She can tell this is going to be rough since the dance moves are slightly hip-hop mixed with pop 'n' lock. She struggles with her holds and the smoothness of her body rolls. She finds out that the skinny bald man is a co-creator of the show and that he will hold a consult with the finalists today. They are let go, but are told not to stray too far away because they will give you a call before four o'clock if you are a finalist.

Rachel receives her call at three thirty-five, she almost passed out from running back to the studio as quickly as she had. The skinny bald man calls her into an office.

"Rachel Berry, I presume. My name is Joe Haldeman and I am the co-creator of this currently untitled project. Nice to meet you, take a seat."

"Hello Mr. Haldeman it has been a pleasure meeting with you."

"Okay, down to business, you are a phenomenal singer and I really like your range. That said, you need to work on your dancing. If you are chosen, we don't start filming until August which gives you the whole Summer to work on it. Now nothing is promised right now, but you are one of three finalists for the role. So, congratulations and we will be in touch sometime this Summer if you are chosen."

"Thank you Mr. Haldeman I appreciate this opportunity. Regardless if I am chosen or not, I had a lot of fun during this whole process." They shake hands and Rachel walks out with increased hope about this part. She calls Kurt when she gets back to her suite. After talking to Kurt, she becomes overwhelmed by anxiousness so she calls CFS to tell them that she will meet with the high-profile clients tomorrow. This job will take her mind off waiting for it to be near August and save her some money by moving out of this expensive Homewood suite.

She knows that these clients are millionaires by the looks of their neighborhood as she drives along. She is in the Hollywood Hills where every house sits atop the hills overlooking the city. She wonders if they are movie stars or musicians or maybe a basketball player and his wife. They only have one child and need a nanny, so they must both work or something. She pulls up to the gate after double-checking the address and buzzes the intercom.

"Blake residence," A male voice speaks from the intercom.

"Yes I'm from Christian Family Services," Rachel answers and the gate swings open after that. She has to drive up almost a quarter mile before reaching the house. This has to be the biggest house Rachel has ever seen that still looks like a home. It is huge, but it looks like a blown up version of a normal family home. Rachel already likes these people's choice of style. She rings the doorbell and straightens her clothes as she waits. A very handsome man opens the front door and greets her.

"Hi, are you from CFS?" Rachel simply nods since her mouth decided not to work for her. "My name is Tim, come on in. I'll go let my wife know you're here." She walks into the foyer and she is amazed this house is beautifully decorated, with a lived-in feel. The couches in the living room are big white and fluffy with comfy looking accent pillows alongside brown leather button tufted chairs and matching ottoman. Rachel gets lost in surveying the decor of the home because she doesn't notice Tim's return with his wife and baby in tow.

"Rachel?" A familiar voice blurts out and Rachel can feel her hair on her arms standing up. This is Quinn Fabray's house, in Los Angeles, her husband's name is Timothy, Blake, Timothy Blake. Rachel is so embarrassed that she feels like running out of there but her legs seem to be numb at the moment. She turns to face Quinn and she is holding a cute baby on her hip while she looks at Rachel as if she has two heads.

"Q-quinn, I-I'm, I mean I work for CFS and they sent me here to meet with you."

"Can you excuse us for a moment?" She watches as Quinn drags her husband into another room. She can barely make out what they are saying, but it sounds like that are arguing. She hears bits and pieces,

"…know her…high school together…"

"…good…won't talk…trust me."

"…weren't exactly friends…we'll see…"

"…not keep her waiting…"

They both come back and invite Rachel to have a seat on the couch in the living room. As she sits down, she notices how beautiful Quinn has become over the years and great she looks in that designer dress she is wearing. Her hair is done up with soft waves and she is wearing a beautiful diamond necklace that probably cost a million dollars. She remembers that she is wearing a v-neck tee and black leggings with ballet slippers and she is even more embarrassed with herself. Quinn smiles at her and she feels her cheeks start to burn.

"So Rachel, the last time I checked, you were on Broadway. What happened?" Her heart sinks down to the bottom of her feet. Quinn sounds so disappointed with her and she cannot blame her. She went from 'Broadway star to nanny of the stars in less than a year, the Rachel Berry story'. The last time Quinn checked, Quinn was keeping tabs on her. Their competitive natures will never leave their bones.

"I know this looks bad, but it's the only way I could support myself between acting jobs discreetly." Quinn squints her eyes and Rachel feels like she is staring into her soul.

"So you became a nanny because you can't get cast. Not even as a corpse on a crime show? That's interesting."

"Oh honey, don't be so harsh to your old friend. She looks like she has been trying, she's in good enough shape. Maybe I'll cast her in my next film." Timothy smiles at Rachel and she smiles back. Quinn raises her right eyebrow at her as a warning to watch herself, Rachel guesses. Quinn bounces the little girl in her lap and turns her around to face Rachel.

"Well Rachel, meet Sarah, our daughter whom you will be responsible for taking care of."

"Hi there Sarah, hello. So does that mean you are hiring me?" Rachel looks up at Quinn from her seat on the ottoman as she shakes baby Sarah's hand. Quinn takes down at them and then over to her husband, who gives her a nod.

"I guess so," That's as good of a confirmation from Quinn that she will get. She knows that Quinn does not like surprises from people in her past. Today she found out why Quinn hates that, it is extremely awkward.

"Great, so Rachel let me show you around the house and then up to your room." Timothy leads her on a tour of the expansive house. She finds out that there are seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms. Some rooms are converted into themed rooms like the game room and home theater. He takes her down to the basement that turns out to be equipped with a bowling alley, wine cellar and bar, and home gym. She appreciates the Italian marble sculptures that run throughout the home, tying the decor together in every room. He takes her outside where they walk through a gate that leads to a pool and patio surrounded by weeping mulberry trees. Rachel thinks it is already beautiful, but Timothy pulls her over to the fence to take in the view. She gasps aloud at the beautiful view of the city. She immediately falls in love with this house, she may never want to leave.

After saying goodbye to Quinn and her family, Rachel feels like she is floating on air as she drives back to her suite. She cannot believe that she had to reconnect with Quinn under such embarrassing circumstances. She will just have to maintain that she is the best at everything she does when taking care of baby Sarah. She'll regain Quinn's respect in no time. When she gets to her room, she begins packing up all of her things. She goes to bed early, so that she could wake up early to check out of the Hilton as soon as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Again, thank you for reading and reviewing. This is just Quinn's introduction (One of you were right). It will be followed up by Rachel's p.o.v. next.

* * *

Quinn p.o.v.

A tugging on her blanket awakens Quinn. "Mommy," She turns over and sees her little angel standing at her bedside.

"Honey, you should be in bed. What's the matter?"

"My tummy hurt, momma," This tummy ache seems to only happen at night when Sarah has to sleep in her own room. Quinn picks her up and takes her back to her room.

"Sarah, you are two years old. Don't you want to be a big girl and stay in your own room tonight?"

"But I'm scared,"

"What did mommy tell you? There are no such things as monsters okay?"

"I know, mommy…I'm cold then. I want milk." She says pleadingly.

"Alright, I'll turn on the heat for a while and then I'm going to bring you a warm glass of milk, okay baby?"

"Okay mommy." Quinn turns on the heat before going down to get the milk. She remembers the days when she could get a good night's sleep.

Her life has been nowhere close to a fairy tale, from a harsh upbringing and a troubled teen mom to a Yale graduate and famous movie star. The road to stardom was not an easy one. She moved to Los Angeles after graduating from college with very little money and she rented a room from people that she found in the classifieds. She worked at McDonald's as well as a juice bar for the first year before she started getting more jobs as extras on TV shows. She was able to rent her own apartment her second year in L.A. because she landed a supporting role in a Timothy Blake horror film.

She met actor Timothy Blake on set of his directorial debut of House of Chambers, an Ascension film in which Quinn co-starred with another young actor. Unlike other men, Timothy was able to see the true potential within her and latched onto her. He noticed when she felt like she was not doing a good job and encouraged her to tap into the raw emotion inside, to find herself in the role. She stuck out for her role in the film that garnered rave reviews from critics. It was a hit, grossing over $200 million after opening weekend at the box office. The media swarmed when there were suspicions of Quinn and Timothy dating. It was the talk of the tabloids when they married six months later. They were dubbed the new it-couple even before their hush-hush marriage. They moved into a one and a half acre, 15 million dollar mansion in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles.

It sounds like a fairy tale, except Quinn's life on the outside is the exact opposite than it is behind closed doors. People saw her and Tim as a happy young couple in love rushing to marry after months of dating. The truth is, Quinn and Timothy have never even been on a date. It all started when the tabloids made up sightings of them together alone on dates during the filming of their movie. Timothy convinced Quinn to switch over to the same management company as him, GS management. She became introduced to a new publicist named Ashley and her new manager, Tammy Nolan during a meeting attended by Timothy Blake as well. They got down to business amid Quinn's confusion of the subject matter of this meeting.

They told her that they wanted her to date Timothy for publicity and promotion of their film. She was promised major endorsements and invitations to all awards ceremonies as long as they are together. Quinn couldn't help but question the reason behind a fake relationship to promote a movie. Timothy comes out and tells her that he is gay and Windspell, the production company, is funded by conservative affiliates. Quinn automatically understands his situation, and her heart goes out to him. They had already bonded while filming and formed a solid friendship, and since she was single, she goes for it and agrees to the arrangement.

The movie's success was also a downfall for the "couple". It caused their personal lives to be an open book. Quinn's past had been brought up in an article where they painted her life as a cautionary tale, and pictures from Timothy's earlier career as an underwear model fueled rumors of his homosexuality. Their next meeting was to plan their wedding. The media forgot about everything else when they caught wind of the upcoming nuptials. It was plastered on the cover of every tabloid and magazine they could find to promote the marriage.

Quinn found herself in a depression a few months into the marriage, she couldn't go anywhere or do anything by herself. Their humongous house felt empty, even when they were home. She and Tim were still friends, but they just spent a lot of time apart as he went on location to film in Paris. Quinn decided to fly to Paris to spring a sudden idea she had onto Tim. She is surprised that he agrees with her, on this plan of hers. They were going to have a baby, but how were they going to do it? Timothy calls up Tammy and she sets up on appointment for them with an in-vitro fertilization specialist.

Nine months later, and Quinn's dream of a perfect family had come true. She finally had a baby that was hers to keep forever. She named her daughter Sarah Judith Blake after her grandmother and her mother. Even though she is married to Tim, Quinn considers herself a single mother. She knows when everything ends she will always have her daughter. That is not to say that Timothy is not a good father, he is quite the opposite. He helps as much as he can and keeps a roof over their heads by continuing to work.

The microwave timer buzzing startles Quinn. This brings her back to her current situation, a two year old that refuses to sleep in her own bed at night. She grabs the milk and brings it upstairs to her waiting child.

"Yay, thank you mommy." Little Sarah downs the small glass of milk.

"You're welcome sweetheart. Now go to sleep okay. You don't want me to have to get Daddy in here, do you?"

"No," Sarah says as she hands her mother the empty glass.

"Okay then, goodnight baby." Quinn kisses her little girl goodnight and heads off to bed herself.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day after all. Her new nanny, who happens to be none other than Rachel Berry, will be moving into her home. She hasn't seen Rachel since college, and the last she knew, Rachel had originated a role on Broadway and was doing fine. Now all of a sudden, she shows up on her doorstep as a babysitter of all things. Quinn understands how hard it is to start out in Hollywood, she's gone through some of her own hardships. She just cannot understand why Rachel would leave a good career in New York behind to deal with starting over in L.A.

Quinn wakes up around six a.m. due to a bit of nervousness and a little excitement about Rachel coming to live with her. She has been extremely lonely since Tim started his new movie and she has not had anyone to talk to. Sure, she has many friends in the industry, but none of them are close enough to talk to on a daily basis. Not one of them knows her personally, because she has trained herself to keep her personal life separate from work.

Quinn gets up to clean a little and to cook Sarah's breakfast before going to get dressed. She plays with Sarah in the backyard for a while before putting her down for a nap. She makes sure to put on a nice dress and pay attention to her makeup. The buzzer on the intercom goes off around two o'clock. She finds herself a little winded as she runs downstairs to buzz Rachel in. She watches out of the front window as Rachel pulls up in a little hybrid car.


	4. Chapter 4

Rachel catches up with Quinn.

* * *

Rachel's p.o.v.

The next morning Rachel wakes up, showers and gets ready to go. She calls for a bellhop to come help her with her bags and then she goes to the front desk to check out. She has her bags placed inside her rented hybrid and she makes a stop on Melrose Avenue to do a little shopping. She purchases some new designer clothes as well as a bathing suit for the pool. She uses a public bathroom to make sure that her hair and makeup are neat and in place before making her way to Quinn's house.

"I see you brought everything with you today. Too bad Tim isn't here to help." Quinn says.

"Oh it's okay. I'll get them myself." She hears Quinn snort as she tries to lift the first heavy bag out of the trunk. She feels her entire body stiffen as Quinn comes up behind her to help with the bag. Quinn lifts the bag out of the trunk with no problem, so she gets them all out herself. Rachel is impressed with Quinn's upper body strength.

"I work out all the time and I have trouble lifting these. How do you do it?"

"I carry around a thirty pound weight all day, every day."

"What? Oh, you're talking about…" Rachel trails off after she figures out what Quinn meant. She laughs and then asks Quinn where baby Sarah is.

"She is taking a nap upstairs. So we'll have some time to catch up."

"Okay," Quinn leads her into the kitchen and pours them both a glass of lemonade. Rachel takes a seat at the kitchen table near the windows and Quinn sits directly across from her.

"So, how did you end up in L.A.?"

"Oh let's see, well, as you know I was on Broadway. It was a role that I had originated and after two years plus the three years off-Broadway beforehand, I wanted to pursue other things. So, I decided to come to Hollywood to see what was out here for me."

"Wow, so you gave up everything to take a chance out here?"

"Yes, even though I haven't had much luck, I refuse go back home with my tail between my legs."

"That's very brave, but you know, I too, had a rough time when I first came out here."

"Really?" Rachel is surprised to hear that.

"Yeah, I roomed with people while I worked two jobs to pay my bills for the entire first year. Then I started getting small parts on TV shows to build my resume. All I can say is, don't give up. I mean, look at me now." Quinn gestures to her surroundings.

"I won't give up. Actually, I recently auditioned for a musical TV show and I'm one of the final three choices."

"Did you get to sing for them?"

"You bet I did." Rachel says proudly.

"Oh well that settles it, you know you've got the part."

"Thank you, um," Rachel swallows down a big smile. "…for believing in me, but you'd never know. I was really getting depressed with all of the rejection and running low on money. That's when I found CFS, and the children made me feel wanted. I got lots of callbacks from families and I've been making enough money to survive."

"That's great. I'm glad you found your light at the end of the tunnel."

"Hey that's a good analogy; it describes how I feel right now."

"You know, I love my daughter and I am happy with my life, but I've been having some dark times of my own lately. I've been feeling lonely all of the time because I can't go anywhere without someone watching me. It's part of the reason I was looking for a nanny, to keep myself company as well."

"What about Tim? You guys seem happy."

"We are." Quinn says while staring deeply into her lemonade.

"May I ask the story of how you guys fell in love?" Quinn suddenly develops a blank expression that Rachel remembers vividly from high school. A look she gets when discussing a sensitive subject. "Was that too personal? I-I was just asking. Tim is very handsome, not that I was looking at him in that way." Rachel wishes that she could stop talking, but she keeps going nonetheless. "I can assure you that you don't have to worry about me getting too close to him or anything. I would never do anything like that."

There is a beat of silence as Quinn raises her eyebrows at Rachel. Rachel gulps down a lump that suddenly appeared in her throat. Suddenly, Quinn bursts out laughing and Rachel has no idea why.

"Ha-ha, you and Tim? Ha-ha!" Rachel crosses her arms when she realizes that Quinn is laughing at her.

"Quinn, I was just letting you know that... would you stop laughing? I'll have you know that plenty of men find me attractive and even flirt with me sometimes." Quinn erupts into silent laughter to the point where she has trouble breathing. She goes to the sink to fill her glass with water. Rachel stands up and follows her in a huff.

"Hey, I'm sorry Rachel, but that was hilarious. I really needed a good laugh. Looks like I made a good decision hiring you." Quinn says while trying to keep a straight face.

"Well I'm glad my lack of attractiveness is so amusing to you." Rachel says feeling upset that Quinn would still tease her like that.

Quinn stares into her glass for a moment before looking back up at Rachel.

"I never said that, you're not unattractive Rachel. Some people might even say that you were unconventionally beautiful."

Rachel tries hard to hide her blush from Quinn's view. She turns away and leans back on the counter.

"W-who would say that?" Rachel presses.

"I don't know, some people I guess." Quinn finishes with a tilt of her head.

"Mommy!" Sarah screams from upstairs and Quinn rushes up to go get her. Rachel is thankful for the awakening of little Sarah because she could have sworn that Quinn was flirting with her just now. She takes a deep breath to calm herself, and not let old feelings muster up.

Quinn comes down with Sarah and they go into the living room to watch some television. Sarah drags out a bin full of toys to play while she watches TV so Rachel sits down to play with her. Rachel tries playing with Sarah's doll, but has it snatched away by the little brown-haired girl. Quinn almost chastises her, but Rachel signals for her to hold off. She tries for the doll again and Sarah looks up at her with Quinn-like hazel eyes that are very threatening for a two-year old. She smiles at her and Sarah smiles back. Then she reaches for the doll again and Sarah allows it. They play for a while after that, with Sarah explaining things in a language Rachel can barely understand. Somehow, Quinn knows what she says and translates it to Rachel as they play along.

Late afternoon is approaching and Quinn asks Rachel what she would like for dinner. Rachel asks her about vegan food products in the house and Quinn has some, but not anything for cooking. Rachel asks if they could go to Whole Foods to pick up some groceries since she only eats vegan and mostly kosher food. Quinn agrees and offers to drive them in her Mercedes hybrid. Quinn shows Rachel how to strap Sarah into her car seat so that she could know how later.

The minute Quinn steps out of the car, a paparazzo snaps her picture from afar and it seems only Rachel noticed him. They do their shopping and when they go to exit the store, there are more paparazzi out there than before. Rachel quickly pushes the basket to the car and begins to put Sarah in first. One f the guys starts to loudly question Quinn about not seeing her for a while and if she is working on a new project. Quinn shakes her head, but she doesn't say anything to them.

When Rachel starts to put the groceries away, they begin to talk to her too. Flashes and the constant clattering of their cameras are annoying enough without the probing questions. The next thing she knows, Quinn is behind her, handing her things and shielding her from their view. They ask Quinn about her, and she tells them 'a friend' and then she pushes Rachel towards the passenger door. When she sees that everyone is inside, Quinn zooms out of her parking spot. Rachel is shocked as she sees a few paparazzi jumping out of the way.

When they get back home, Rachel doesn't say anything because she now understands what Quinn meant when she said she couldn't go anywhere without people watching her. She knows that being famous is sometimes a double-edged sword, but today was brutal. Rachel stares at Quinn as she puts away the groceries like normal. She wants to hug her but she isn't sure Quinn would want one. She stops thinking about it and goes over to her. Quinn looks up at her confusedly and Rachel makes her move. She hugs Quinn tightly and she feels her tense at first, and then she relaxes into it.

"What was that for?"

"I um, I think we both needed it after what happened at the store. I had no idea, Quinn."

"Well get used to it. They have your picture now and they are gonna dig up everything they can about you. I hope you have a squeaky clean record." Rachel doesn't know if Quinn is being sarcastic or serious, either way, she is a little frightened.

Timothy arrives home just in time for dinner. Everyone sits in the dining room enjoying the vegan-friendly meal that Rachel and Quinn have prepared. This is the best meal Rachel has had since coming to L.A.

"Rachel this is delicious. And it's all vegan? That's impressive." Rachel gives Tim a half smile.

"Well, Quinn did most of the cooking. I chopped up everything and ordered her around." Rachel says.

"She's right. But it did turn out better than I had expected." Quinn says.

They all finish their meals and Timothy offers to do the dishes. Quinn helps him while Rachel stays with Sarah, still eating in her highchair. When Sarah asks to get out, Rachel helps her down and then takes her upstairs to get ready for bed. She washes her up and then puts her in her pajamas.

Rachel takes Sarah down with her to get a glass of water. She catches Quinn and Tim giggling and whispering in the kitchen. They both stop and look at her and Rachel feels self-conscious. Timothy takes Sarah from her, gives Quinn a wink and then leaves them in the kitchen. Rachel gets a glass and fills it with water. The kitchen is silent as Rachel drinks her water. She is startled and she almost chokes when Quinn speaks to her.

"Dinner was delicious. Who knew vegan food could taste that good?"

"I always did. I've always understood the health benefits, and I let that inspire my decision to go fully vegan. There are so many more options for people nowadays but at the same time, it is very costly."

"You don't have to worry about it now. As long as you're here, what's ours is yours, including money for food."

"That's very generous of you Quinn. But I can afford food for myself." Rachel says, slightly irritated.

"Look, I wasn't saying that you can't afford to feed yourself. I thought you took this job because you needed to save up some money."

"I did, but you made it sound like...ugh nevermind." Rachel crosses her arms across her chest. Quinn mumbles something that Rachel cannot quite make out. "What did you just say?" Rachel quietly asks.

"I said that I was sorry. Sorry I made you feel like a charity case or something. You have to know I didn't mean it like that."

"No, I-I'm sorry for getting mad at you. I feel like an idiot, you were only being thoughtful, and kind. Before I got this job, I could barely afford _any_ food."

"It's hard for everyone at the beginning and then when you land that show, you'll forget about ever even being here." Quinn says as she places a hand on Rachel's shoulder.

"Thank you Quinn. Seriously, you were always so encouraging of me. It's nice to know that some things never change."

"Yeah, I guess some things never do. Goodnight Rachel." Rachel watches as Quinn goes up the kitchen stairwell. She reminisces about back in high school when she and Quinn would bicker like that. It brings up some warm feelings from the past.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for all of the follows, favs and reviews, I really appreciate it.

* * *

Quinn's p.o.v.

Days seem to go by faster with Rachel here to keep her company. She hasn't cried in a week or so, which means she has been less stressed lately. Having someone to talk to and help with Sarah feels like a blessing. Falling back into a friendship with Rachel was surprisingly easy. Quinn doubts that she would have ever trusted any other girl in this situation. She is starting to feel bad about keeping the truth from Rachel. She would probably be disappointed at first, but she will understand eventually. Quinn just cannot find the right time to bring it up. Maybe she should just drop it into one of their daily conversations, 'I like your shoes Rachel, by the way my husband's gay and I'm his beard. Let's go try on my new pumps!' She decides to wait on it and keep things the way they are for now.

It is Friday, so Quinn takes the time to go to Voda spa to pamper herself for a day. She tells Rachel that she will be back later and then she is out the door. She arrives at her favorite spa a few minutes later. The calming scent of lavender has her relaxing as soon as she walks in. The woman at the front desk remembers her and schedules her for her usual treatments: a mani/pedi, an opulence facial, a full body scrub, and a deep flow massage. Quinn decides to eat lunch in the café while she waits and orders a vegetarian wrap. After she is finished eating, the woman takes her into the European treatment room where she strips down and wraps her body in a towel. They begin with the facial and body scrub and then the woman gives her the deep flow massage.

The massage has Quinn's body feeling like a noodle so she shrugs on a robe and walks out to the Relaxation room. She orders a passion fruit iced tea as she lies back in the lounge chair. Quinn happens to look at the television right as All Hollywood is on. She sees herself and Rachel on the screen. The sound is too low and Quinn cannot hear what is being said, but apparently, one of the paparazzo filmed them. They made it seem like she was purposely trying to run them down. She cannot believe it, this is the reason she never goes out anymore. It doesn't matter what she does, she will always be considered the bad guy. She says a silent prayer and refuses to let it ruin her newly relaxed mood, so she takes her drink and goes to the salon to get her mani/pedi done.

After the spa, Quinn is feeling good despite the paparazzi thing. She notices that Tim is home as she pulls her Benz into the garage. Usually he would have called her to tell her he is coming home early. Then she remembers that she turned her phone off at the spa and she turns it on to see a few missed calls from him. She wonders what is going on so she hops out and goes upstairs to talk to him.

"Hey, you're home early." She says when she sees Tim.

"Yeah, I tried to call you. Rachel told me you went out, spa right?" Tim asks, already sure by her looks.

"Yes, and it was so relaxing Tim, you should come with next time."

"I might take you up on that, since we wrapped today!" He says excitedly.

"Really? Congratulations!" Quinn pulls Tim into a hug. Then they play their hugging game where they try to squeeze the life out of each other. Quinn screams as Tim picks her up and squeezes her.

"Oh, sorry, I-I just heard you up here. I didn't mean to intrude." Rachel walks back out as fast as she came in. Quinn tries to call after her, but she was gone.

"What was that about?" Tim questions.

"I don't know. I guess she thinks she caught us in an intimate moment." Quinn says, smiling.

"Oh my God," He laughs. "But yeah, on a serious note, I need to tell you something and don't be mad. I know it is short notice." He says, retreating away from Quinn.

"Tim," Quinn warns.

"I'm throwing the wrap party here tomorrow afternoon. Don't hit me." He yelps when she does.

"Tim! You are giving me no time to prepare!" Quinn yells.

"Don't worry, I already set everything up. All you have to do is stand beside me and look pretty like always. Oh come on, don't give me that look. Did I mention you were pretty?"

"I cannot talk to you right now. I have to call Andre, stat." Quinn rushes off into her wardrobe room with her phone. She calls her personal stylist and tells him to get to her house with some good stuff as soon as possible. She goes to the intercom and calls Rachel upstairs.

"Yes Quinn." Rachel answers. Quinn comes out of her wardrobe and drags Rachel, with Sarah on her hip, inside.

"We have a dilemma. It seems that my _husband_ planned a wrap party here for tomorrow, and I have nothing to wear."

"Oh my, I don't think I have anything worthy of wearing either." Rachel says.

"It's okay, my stylist Andre is on his way. He could find you something as well. I just wanted to let you know that you are allowed to talk to people but you do have to watch Sarah during the party. Which means no alcohol, okay?"

"Sure Quinn, I don't drink very much at all really. It's drying for your vocal cords." Rachel says.

"Right, so let me take Sarah to Tim really quickly and I'll be back." Quinn takes Sarah from Rachel and gives her some kisses as she takes her into Tim's room. Quinn returns to her wardrobe to see Rachel perusing the racks of clothes.

"Quinn, there's so many dresses an-and shoes. Your shoes, Quinn!" Rachel exclaims.

"Rachel I have worn most of them at least once okay. People send some stuff as gifts so…" Rachel stares at her with a blank expression. "Okay, okay, maybe I have a little shopping problem. But, I have reasons for each and every purchase. You can only wear an outfit on the red carpet once and a lot of them are from those." Quinn defends.

"I believe you Quinn, it's just that this is not just a closet. This was once a bedroom that had to be converted to house your many, many clothes and shoes." Rachel says jokingly.

"I really hope that you make it big Rachel. Just so that one day, you too will have a wardrobe room of your own. It will probably be bigger than mine, and I am gonna come to your house and say, I told you so."

"Quinn, I doubt that very much. I could never grow _so_ attached to my clothes that I build a shrine in my home for them." Rachel begins to laugh even more.

"Shrine? Are you kidding me? This is nothing compared to some of my other friends closets. You are going to have to face it Rachel, Hollywood puts a certain pressure on women to always look good. And even though I don't agree with it, I'm just playing the game, in more ways than you know."

Rachel looks like she is about to say something, when the intercom rings. Quinn checks the camera and buzzes Andre in. She leaves Rachel in the wardrobe and runs down to let Andre in.

"Hey girl," Andre greets Quinn with a cheek kiss and then he continues. "Listen, Quinn, you called me at the last minute but I brought some good stuff. We've got some new stuff from Louis Vuitton, Prada and Givenchy. Oh and also some Yves Saint Laurent, I know you'll love that." Quinn grabs a few bags from the chair and helps him bring them upstairs to her wardrobe. "Who's this?" He asks.

"Oh, Andre, this is my friend Rachel Berry. Rachel this is my stylist, Andre Vincent." Quinn introduces.

"Hello, nice to meet you Rachel." Rachel and Andre shake hands.

"Nice to meet you, too." Rachel says.

"Yeah, so I forgot to mention, but do you think you have anything for her to wear? She's an up and coming actress and she needs something for the party too." Quinn tells him.

"Well, help me open up these bags and we'll see what we could do." They start pulling out dresses and outfits from the wardrobe bags, and lay them out on the chaises around the room.

Quinn gravitates toward a long skirt by Prada and then she searches for a top. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Andre looking over Rachel's body. He tells her to try on a top and Quinn cannot help but watch as Rachel removes her shirt to reveal a pretty, black lace bra. Quinn wills her eyes away and continues to look through the clothes. She finds a sleeveless silk blouse with a deep plunge and decides to try the outfit on. Quinn is startled when Rachel makes a yelping sound and sees that Tim has come into the room unannounced.

"Don't worry, I won't look. I'm just bringing Sarah in. Quinn, I'm going out and I'll be back later, okay." Tim glances over at Andre and Rachel, then he gives Quinn a quick peck on the lips and walks back out of the room.

Quinn moves Sarah over to the sitting area and continues trying on her outfit, she likes the top, but the skirt is all wrong. Andre brings over two different skirts and holds them up in front of her in the mirror. She thinks that the Asian patterned one by Yves is better, so she tries it on.

Quinn spins around, "How do I look?" She almost passes out when she sees Rachel in a tight red mini dress.

"See now you can pair that with a pair of stilettos…" Andre informs Rachel. She looks up and smiles at Quinn.

"Oh, wow Quinn you look beautiful." Quinn fights the blush that she fears will show across her face. She holds out her arm and gestures towards Rachel's body.

"You look absolutely stunning!" Rachel's eyes light up and she puts her hands behind her back while she looks down at herself. Quinn cannot take her eyes off of Rachel in that dress.

"Thank you Quinn, I like it, but I don't think it is appropriate for the party." Quinn thinks it is appropriate to wear around the house. She should have Andre bring in more tight-fitting clothes for Rachel the next time he comes by.

After they are done picking out their outfits for tomorrow, Andre goes through Quinn's wardrobe and finds accessories for them. Quinn sees Andre out, and thanks him for coming on such short notice. When she comes back in, Rachel tells Quinn that she and Sarah had already eaten dinner, so she puts Sarah to bed.

"So um, it seems like Timothy is rarely ever here and now that his movie is done, he just goes out tonight without you. Doesn't that bother you?" Rachel asks.

"We've been together for about three years Rachel. I'm not going to keep him on a leash. We have an understanding." Quinn shrugs and Rachel nods her head as if she is working over what she said.

"Okay, I wasn't implying anything. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Quinn can feel her heart burst. She knows that Rachel means it in a friendship way, but she is flattered that she cares. Quinn goes off to her room after checking in on Sarah, to get some rest before tomorrow.

Quinn wakes up the next morning around eight a.m. She gets up and does her morning routine that consists of brushing her teeth and washing her face. Then she goes downstairs where the house is full of workers bringing in items and setting them up for the party. She doesn't see Tim anywhere, so she goes back up to check on Sarah and she is still asleep. She also checks on Rachel to see if she is up. She too, is still asleep and Quinn stands in the doorway looking at her. She admires her peaceful expression and her chest moving up and down as she sleeps soundlessly.

Quinn catches herself and shakes her head. She does not know what is wrong with her, sure Rachel is beautiful and she finds her attractive, but she cannot pursue a relationship with her. Why can't she? She _is_ married for one, _but_ it is a false marriage. It wouldn't be good for either of their careers, _but_ they don't have to tell anyone. She could just tell people that Rachel works for her, which is technically true. She almost forgot an important issue though, is Rachel even remotely interested in exploring something more with her? That question makes Quinn's chest ache. She remembers back during senior year when Rachel first broke her heart by trying to marry Finn Hudson. She cannot go through that again, so she decides to hold off. She refuses to put herself out there to get her heart broken again. She has her daughter to think about now, and she cannot stay in bed all day crying over her unrequited love for her nanny.


	6. Chapter 6

Rachel's p.o.v.

She wakes up, checks the clock and it is nine o'clock am. She remembers the party is today so she gets up, brushes her teeth and goes downstairs to get coffee in her pajama shorts and tank. Rachel is shocked to see a bunch of people in the kitchen prepping for the party. She decides to grab tumbler and fill it with coffee to take upstairs. She doesn't want to stay down there and be in the way dressed in pajamas. As she ascends the stairs, she hears one of the men telling someone about how hot she looked. Rachel feels her confidence shoot through the roof. She wishes Quinn was there to hear it. She almost feels like gloating until she thinks back to last night and Quinn's compliments towards her. She smiles as she drinks her coffee and then she goes to get dressed.

The party is pretty fun and eye opening for Rachel. She had no idea that Quinn and Tim were friends with so many famous people. She keeps forgetting that they are super famous themselves. Quinn has taken her around and introduced her to some of them as her _'friend'_. Quinn could have just told them that she was their nanny, but she called her '_her friend'_.

The hot star from that doctor show walks over to her table and sits down right across from her. Rachel tries to keep herself from looking like a star struck puppy by occupying her time taking care of Sarah. The job she had been hired to do. It never seems like she is at work at all because Quinn never has to tell her what to do. She just takes care of Sarah whenever Quinn is busy.

Timothy operates the grill from time to time as everyone enjoys themselves out on the patio. Quinn now sits with some of her friends chatting and giggling like school girls. There is a bartender serving drinks to almost everyone but Rachel and the children. Rachel sits on a patio chair watching everyone around her. She takes sips of her iced tea as she feeds Sarah some hummus from her plate. Quinn comes by to check on them every few minutes.

"Hey, how's it going? I had Tim grill up some marinated shiitake mushrooms for the vegans. If you want one I'll bring it to you."

"Thank you Quinn, yes I'll have one."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Quinn returns with the most delicious looking mushroom burger Rachel has ever seen.

"Oh it smells divine Quinn and it looks so delicious. Thank you." Quinn watches as she takes a bite. Her mouth bursts with flavor from the smoky mushroom to the aioli and the crisp greens. "Oh my God, that is good."

"You really like it?"

"Yes, it's the best burger I've ever had in my life."

"Really, I just followed a recipe that I found online."

"You made this?"

"Well I marinated them and made the aioli but Tim did the grilling."

"You have to give me that recipe later. These are so _good_." Quinn laughs and then someone grabs her attention so she excuses herself. Rachel watches her walk away with a smile and then she devours the rest of the burger.

At dusk, Timothy calls everyone together on the patio for a toast. He thanks the cast and crew who helped with the production of his movie. Everyone cheers as he names every person that he can remember and someone reminds him of others that he had forgotten. Rachel watches as he throws an arm over Quinn's shoulders. He smiles down at her when she holds up her drink and wishes everyone 'cheers' then she clinks her glass into Tim's.

Rachel wishes that she could have that, someone to love and support her. When Rachel looks up from her glass, she catches eyes with Quinn for a second. Her eyes look different, almost sad, and Rachel has to tear her eyes away. Could Quinn sense her loneliness from way over there? She hates it when Quinn looks at her like that, how can she not see what it does to her? Maybe Quinn can sense her feelings and feels the same. She watches as Tim whispers something in Quinn's ear and she begins to giggle. Rachel knew not to get her hopes up, Quinn is married and much in love with her husband.

XXX

Rachel hears the buzzer while Quinn showers. It is early, and she has no idea who it could be. She goes down to the intercom and answers it. There is a woman in a car on the security camera.

"Blake residence," Rachel announces.

"Yes, hi, this is Quinn's assistant Ashley. I have something for her." Rachel has heard about her from Quinn.

"Okay, I'll buzz you in." Rachel tells her and then tries to buzz her in, but she doesn't remember the button. She pushes different ones until she gets it.

Rachel unlocks the door when she sees the short redhead hop out of a range rover with a large bag in her hands.

"Hello, you must be Rachel." Rachel watches as she drags the bag into the foyer.

"Yes, hi, do you need any help with that?" she asks.

"No, I've got it. Is Quinn around?"

"She's just upstairs showering." Rachel is surprised when she sees Ashley turn and run up the stairs as if she lived there.

She uses the opportunity to take a peek inside of the big bag. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of cards, little gifts, and letters all addressed to Quinn. She picks up a card and reads that it is a birthday card for Quinn. She cannot believe that Quinn did not tell her that it was her birthday. Rachel tries to remember if she has ever even heard of Quinn having a birthday party when they were in school. She grows sad at the thought of never being invited to anyone's birthday parties back then. Rachel sits on the couch and watches as Quinn comes down and walks Ashley to the front door. She waits until Quinn picks up the bag and walks it into the living room.

"What is that Quinn?" Rachel asks innocently.

"Oh, just some fan mail. I usually read as much as I can and send responses back to some of the kids. It's so wonderful how technology is so advanced, yet people still send in hand written letters and hand-made cards." Rachel wishes she could wipe that grin off Quinn's face. She isn't even acknowledging that they're birthday cards.

"Really, that's really sweet of you, Quinn."

"I love all of my fans. They are the ones that are going to support me no matter what." Now she feels bad for getting mad at Quinn. She really can be sweet.

Rachel wants to ask, but she can't let Quinn know that she looked through her things. "C-can I see some of them? I used to get a little fan mail from fans of my show, and there are some really talented kids out there." She feels guilty for lying, but she needs to find out Quinn's problem with her own birthday.

"Sure, there has to be thousands in here, I'll probably need your help with them anyway."

"Rachel gets a letter out and reads it. It's from a little girl saying how much she loves Quinn and wishing her a happy birthday.

"Quinn,"

"Hmm," Quinn says, not looking up from one of the letters.

"Is today your birthday?" Rachel finally asks.

Quinn looks up at her. "Yeah, why?" Quinn asks.

"You didn't say anything, how come you didn't tell me?" Rachel asks.

"I don't really make a big fuss out of my birthday. I usually just read through some of these and have Tim pick up some of my favorite cupcakes from Sprinkles and call it a day."

"Oh, okay are you sure? If you want to go out, I'm here to watch Sarah anyway. I can watch her tonight if you and Tim want to have a special night together."

"Me and Tim? Ha-ha, Rachel, it's really hard for us to go out without paparazzi attacking us. So we don't go out, ever.

Rachel gets an idea, if Quinn refuses to go out for her birthday, the least she could do is surprise her with a cake and serenade her with happy birthday. Later, she goes to pick up the cake that she called and had specially made earlier. She returns home after picking up some more supplies and finds that Quinn is not downstairs. She seizes the opportunity to set things up in the kitchen.

She runs upstairs to find Quinn when she is done setting up the table. She goes and grabs up Sarah and carries her to Quinn's room.

"You ready to say happy birthday to mommy?" Sarah nods quietly. "Okay let's go get her."

She bursts into Quinn's room yelling out, "Surprise! Happy B-,"

"What the hell, Rachel!" Quinn shrieks, rushing to cover up.

"I-I'm so sorry, Quinn." She cannot believe she just walked in on Quinn naked. She turns and runs downstairs with Sarah, on autopilot.

By the time Quinn comes down, Rachel cannot look at her, at all.

"Was this for me?" Quinn asks quietly.

Rachel swallows nervously. She refuses to look at Quinn, she knows the image of her smooth, creamy thighs and curvy behind will flash into her mind upon sight. She is still having a hard time making them go away now. An image of Quinn's toned back appears. She shakes her head and begs her mind not to wander into the naughty zone.

"Rachel, I, did you buy me this cake?" Quinn asks her again.

"Oh, um yes. F-for your birthday." Rachel shoots her way, without looking up.

"Thanks." Quinn says. Then there is an awkward pause and Rachel can feel herself begin to sweat a little.

"Caaaake! Momma, I want cake." Sarah whines. Thank God for little Sarah. Rachel was seconds away from making a run for it.

The three stay in the kitchen and eat their cake, Quinn and Sarah at the table and Rachel hunched over the kitchen counter.

"Um, the cake was delicious." Quinn says while rinsing her and Sarah's plates in the sink.

"Yeah," Since when did her voice sound so squeaky? She clears her throat. "Um, it was vegan." She tells her.

"Oh, that's impressive. You just may be converting me to your side of the fence." Rachel almost chokes on her bite of cake. "I guess eating vegan food isn't all that bad." Quinn finishes.

Rachel feels herself become tense as she begins to wonder if Quinn purposely made a play on her words. Then again, it is her own fault, at first she only had a growing crush on Quinn, now she has the ammo to create certain scenarios in her mind. She definitely will not be getting any sleep tonight.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for reading. I'll post the next chapter in a few days.

* * *

Quinn's p.o.v.

Quinn cannot stand the heat up here on this hill. It is mid-May and extremely hot for the end of spring. They run the A/C all day, but Quinn wants to be able to go outside for some fresh air without burning to death. Then an idea hits her, today will be a mother/daughter swim day.

She gets Sarah into her pink baby swimsuit and floaties before changing into her own bikini. Quinn cannot help but be a little self-conscious about getting scantily clad in front of Rachel again. Ever since she saw her naked on her birthday, Rachel has been acting like a pre-pubescent boy. Sputtering about nervously, and avoiding eye contact. Instead of embarrassing her, it has made Quinn more confident.

Her body has seen better days, but she looks damn good for having given birth, twice. Despite the few squiggly lines on her sides, her stomach is quite taut. And her ass has always looked good. She goes downstairs with Sarah through the kitchen, to make sure that Rachel sees her as she walks out in her bikini. She pretends not to notice Rachel and walks straight through to the sliding doors. She pauses when Rachel asks her if she is going swimming.

"Yes, I don't know about you, but I was tired of being cooped up in this house. I was just going to take Sarah for a swim. You can join us, if you want to." She waits for an answer as Rachel kneels down to play with Sarah.

"Sure, I'll go change into my bathing suit. Oh Sarah, you look as beautiful as your mommy in your little swimsuit and you've got yourself a seahorse too." Quinn blushes at Rachel's compliment to her through her daughter. She turns away as Rachel stands up. "She's adorable, Quinn."

"Oh, thank you, um," She mentally kicks herself for getting flustered first. She was supposed to do that to Rachel. "Well, we'll be in the pool waiting." Quinn makes sure to put a bit more smoothness into her swagger as she exits through the glass doors. She can feel Rachel's eyes on her the whole time.

Quinn puts baby Sarah into the pool. She made sure to teach Sarah to swim when she was eleven months old, but she still makes her wear floaties just in case. The mother and daughter have fun laughing and swimming circles around each other for a few minutes until Sarah looks up and sees Rachel first. Quinn's jaw drops open when she follows her daughter's line of sight and sees Rachel. She is wearing a black, strapless _ultralow_ bikini leaving little to the imagination. Quinn can feel her nostrils flaring and dunks her head underwater to soothe the burning in her cheeks.

She comes up to see Rachel sit down on a lounge chair right next to the pool. She cannot get over all of that smooth olive skin out on display. She openly watches as Rachel rubs a little sunscreen on her body. After seconds of staring, she catches herself and tries to think of anything to get her into the water.

"Hey, come on get in. The water is cool, right Sarah?" Quinn grabs Sarah into her arms as she nods excitedly at Rachel. Sarah squeals in delight as Quinn spins her around.

"Ha-ha, I think I'll watch you guys for a little while before getting in."

"Awe, come on Rachel. What's the matter? You afraid we'll beat you in a race."

"No, I just can't get in right now okay." Quinn wonders what Rachel's problem is and then it hits her. Rachel must not know how to swim.

"Rachel, do you know how to swim?" Quinn asks as gently as she can. She doesn't want Rachel to feel embarrassed about it.

"No actually. I've never been to a pool, so I never needed to swim."

"Do you want to learn? I taught Sarah when she was a baby."

"Really? I was going to ask, she swims like a pro for her age. Do you think you could teach an _old_ dog a new trick?"

"If you listen to directions and let me guide you, you'll be swimming in no time."

"Okay. Can we start maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure, meet me out here tomorrow afternoon. It will take more than one day. So we'll keep going until you learn." Quinn lets Sarah go while she follows behind her with Rachel watching from the poolside. They swam around for about thirty more minutes before getting out.

Quinn towels herself and Sarah off before asking Rachel if she is ready to go back inside. Quinn makes sure to hold the gate open for Rachel after she picks up Sarah. She knows it's wrong, but she cannot help taking a glance at Rachel's ass as she walks back into the house. She forces herself to stop and chastises herself for reaching a depraved level of sexual frustration. How will she survive giving Rachel swimming lessons?

Quinn goes to bed early after putting Sarah to bed because she was tired from swimming today. Just as she covers herself in a blanket, she hears a noise. It sounds like it's coming from outside. She jumps up out of bed when she hears Rachel call out her name. Quinn hurries and comes out of her room because she doesn't want Rachel to see that she and Tim sleep in separate rooms. She almost runs right into Rachel in her haste to get out there. Quinn cannot believe her eyes when she steps back and sees what Rachel happens to sleep in. Tiny shorts and an almost see through tank. God is punishing her for being mean to Rachel all those years ago, that has to be it. He brought her back into her life, hotter and sexier than ever.

"Quinn did you hear that noise?" Quinn knows she looks startled, she hopes Rachel didn't catch her while she was inspecting her goods.

"…Hmm?"

"That noise, it sounds like it came from outside."

"Oh… yeah…I heard it too." There it goes again, what could that be? "Well, we do have security, let's go look out the windows downstairs to see if we see anything."

"Okay." Rachel says looking a little frightened.

"I'm going to check on Sarah first." Quinn does and then she comes back to take Rachel's hand and lead her downstairs in the dark.

They make it down and look out one of the windows, but they do not see anyone out there. Rachel has graduated to holding Quinn by the waist as they huddle up side by side to look out into the backyard. The only sounds they hear are each other breathing. Quinn turns too quickly and she accidentally grazes Rachel's nose with her own.

"Oops, um, maybe it was a bird or something. I'll call someone to come check out the roof tomorrow. Let's just go try to get some sleep okay." She says before swallowing to quench the sudden dryness in her throat.

"Okay." Rachel nods and then removes her arm from around her. Quinn misses her warmth already. She follows behind her as they walk back up the stairs.

"Goodnight Quinn." Rachel whispers.

"Goodnight Rachel." She whispers back, before they part and go off into their respective bedrooms. It has been a long day and Quinn wishes that she could stop thinking about Rachel, in _that_ way. Her nights would be much better slept than the way they are now.


	8. Chapter 8

Rachel p.o.v.

"Looks like it was a bird caught up ya chimney there. I caged it up and called animal control for ya ma'am. They took it away." says the overweight and balding pest control man.

Quinn was right, it was a bird after all. Rachel was worried last night when she had heard those noises. Luckily for her, Quinn had been there to keep her calm.

"Thank you, sir. How much will that be?" She asks.

"That'll be a hundred and fifty dollars." He says wiping the sweat from his forehead. Rachel thinks that is a bit steep for a bird removal, but she pays him anyway.

After the guy leaves, Rachel calls Quinn to tell her she was right.

"Hey Rachel," Quinn answers.

"So...I guess you were right last night. It was just a bird. It was stuck in the chimney and I'm so glad that he got it out alive."

"Good, I wasn't sure, but that was the first thought that popped into my head. How's Sarah doing? She giving you any trouble?"

"Never, she is always a sweet little angel princess for me. Isn't that right Sarah? It's mommy on the phone, wanna talk?" Sarah gets up from playing with toys and takes the phone from Rachel. She breathes into the phone without saying a word until she hears her mother's voice.

"Hello darling, mommy is going to be home really soon, okay."

"Okay, mommy. Bye." Sarah shoves the phone back into Rachel's hands and swiftly makes her way back to her toys.

"Sounds like she really misses me." Quinn says dryly.

"Oh no, Quinn, she's just playing with her favorite doll right now. I'm sure she misses her mom."

"I was just kidding, I know how she gets with her toys. You know, I almost forgot to tell you, but someone is going to drop off a package to me later so let them in. It'll be from Hollywood Life Magazine, okay."

"Got it. Umm, what time do you think you'll be home so that I can know when to start dinner?"

"This meeting has morphed into a series of them to work out a few kinks in my contract. I'll call you before I'm on my way home okay."

"Alright, does stir-fry sound good to you?"

"Rachel, everything you've made has been delicious so, yeah. Oh, I've got to go, bye." She hangs up abruptly before Rachel could even respond.

Later that afternoon, the intercom buzzes and Rachel sets down her knife on the cutting board to answer it.

"Blake residence," She announces without checking the camera.

"Yes, hello I'm from Hollywood Life magazine," a man says.

"Oh okay, let me buzz you in...umm that's not right. Hold on." BUZZ! There it goes. She unlocks the front door when she hears the engine of the car shut off. She makes sure to look through the window to make sure the person is who they say they are.

He knocks on the door.

Rachel opens the door and he hands her a large thick envelope.

"For Mrs. Fabray, and you are?" Rachel is puzzled for a moment before she realizes what he was asking.

"Oh, um Rachel, I'm her friend from out of town."

"Okay, but this confidential information and any leakage of the images to the media would be Mrs. Fabray's responsibility starting now. Do you understand?" Rachel finds herself become excited at hearing the word 'images'.

"Yes. Yes, I understand."

"Okay, have a good day miss."

"You too." Rachel closes the door and takes the envelope into the living room with her.

She looks at and gives it a shake to listen for any loose pictures or whatever is in there. She quickly sits it on the coffee table next to her and decides to let Quinn open it herself. She goes back into the kitchen and finishes her food prep for dinner.

XXX

After dinner, Rachel walks through the living room when something catches her eye. It's a copy of Hollywood Life magazine with a sexy picture of Quinn on the cover. She makes sure to listen for Quinn, who should be upstairs with Sarah before curling up with it on the couch. She hurriedly flips through it to get to Quinn's article. She is in awe of the beautiful pictures of Quinn. She has never seen her look so, sexy. Well, except for when she saw her in a bikini…or that other time. She then gets to the article.

_Hollywood Life Magazine:_

Quinn Fabray, the enigmatic young starlet opens up to us in this exclusive interview. She arrived on the scene almost four years ago after graduating from Yale majoring in Drama. She went from guest spots as a dumb blonde cheerleader to co-starring in a box-office hit that grossed over $200 million opening weekend.

House of Chambers was the brain-child of actor/director Timothy Blake and became an instant cult classic. Quinn and Timothy fell in love during production and they were married six months after the premiere. The two share a child together, two-year old Sarah, and it has been a long time since we've seen the new mother in a new project. We caught up with her at an exclusive location in Hollywood, California.

_Hollywood Life_: So you told me before that you are open to most of my questions and I'd like thank you for taking time out of your life to give us this exclusive interview.

Quinn Fabray: No, Thank You.

HL: You still have many fans out there who cannot forget about your breakout role in House of Chambers. And I have to say so myself that you were phenomenal in that.

QF: Thank you [laughs]. I'm delighted that people still care.

HL: Trust me, they do. Okay, let's get down to business. Did you ever think that you would blow up so big in such a short time in Hollywood?

QF: No, actually. I've had a couple of bad years…well, I shouldn't say bad, but I learned a lot in those years of struggling. The success just seems like the reward after going through those trails and tribulations.

HL: Now that you say that, you've stated before that you were a Christian, how has your religion helped you deal with some of the crazy things that come with fame?

QF: It has helped me get through some tough times. Just recently, I had a run-in with paparazzi and they made it seem as if I were the one attacking them. I was at a spa when I saw it on TV and I just remember silently praying for strength that day.

HL: Do you pray a lot?

QF: Not as much as I used to, but whenever I am having a particularly hard time I do.

HL: So is your husband also very religious? And do you go to church?

QF: Tim is a Christian but neither of us are very religious. I mean, I didn't even take his last name. We don't go to church but I will make sure that my daughter has some form of faith as she grows up.

HL: So what if she grows up and wants to convert to Judaism?

QF:[laughs] I would love it! Some of my best friends are Jewish so it wouldn't matter to me as long as she's happy.

Rachel smiles as she reads that part. She wonders if Quinn was talking about her as one of her best friends.

HL: That's very cool. I don't know how we got that far into religion, but I'm glad we did. Now for the hard hitting question. How did you feel about your past being brought up in the press?

QF: Well, it was such a long time ago, but I remember that my manager called me and told me about it and I just broke down while on the phone with them.

HL: Did you never want anyone to find out about giving a child up for adoption?

QF: That wasn't it. It was just the fact that it was my story to tell when I was ready. They just took that from me. I had no say-so in the treatment of it.

HL: You think they made light of a serious situation.

QF: Something like that.

HL: What advice would you give to any young girls out there who find themselves in a similar situation to your past?

QF: Wow, okay, I would tell them to stay strong. And that there may be a lot of people looking down their noses at you, but you have to keep going. You have to prove them wrong, that having a child, whether you keep them or not, will not ruin your life. It may seem hopeless at some points, and believe me it will get bad, but things will get better. Like the old saying goes, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.

HL: That is really good advice for young people in general. So I'm going to wrap it up with one more question. Are you working on anything right now that your fans can look forward to?

QF: [laughs] Hmm, maybe they'll just have to wait and see.

And with that, the interview is over and Quinn exits the building along with her publicist. –HL

Rachel closes the magazine and places it back on top of the package that it came in. She smiles to herself thinking about how charming Quinn was in that interview. She cannot help but swoon over the grace she has no matter how idiotic that interviewer was. It is no wonder everyone loves her.


	9. Chapter 9

Quinn p.o.v.

"Oh goodness, when is this going to end?" Quinn thinks to herself during a series of meetings at the Windspell building.

"So, Mrs. Fabray, I know it's been a long day, but we need your contract to be renewed, so that we can move forward with the film." says one of the executives.

"Okay, so what's first?" Quinn asks.

"Well, basically we're going to go over your base pay per film. Your first film earned you about $500,000 and much more in endorsements. Now that you have your foot in the door with a huge success, I'm thinking that we can up your earnings to $15 million for this new project. If this one is even moderately successful, then I expect to see you back in here in six months. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great! And if this film does well, how much do you think I'll make then?"

"I'm going to take a long shot and say about $30 mil?"

Quinn cannot believe that her pay could jump so high after only two major films under her belt. This only adds to the natural nervousness she already has about filming again.

They go over more details in her contract as well as the preparation for filming abroad, which worries Quinn. She has never been apart from Sarah for more than two days. This meeting finally ends and Quinn sends Ashley out to get her something to eat while she waits to talk to the producers of the movie.

She takes a call from Rachel, and Ashley returns with her food. She tells her that the producers are ready now, so she abruptly hangs up on Rachel. She hopes that Rachel understands her reasons for being so rude, she'll have to talk to her later.

"Was that the Rachel woman that has been living at your house?" Ashley asks.

"Yes. Why?" Quinn answers, confusedly.

"Look, I know that she's your nanny. But it wouldn't be the first time I've dealt with someone boning their nanny, you know. The thing is, this one will be hard for me to make go away, since they have pictures of you two out shopping…I mean, I just hope that you're thinking clearly about your career here. If you're with her, you really need to tell me. I can't help you if you're going to be sloppy about it and keep secrets from me."

Quinn cannot believe her ears, Ashley is completely out of line. How dare she accuse her keeping anything from her? If she were with Rachel it wouldn't be anyone's business but theirs.

"What are you talking about? I'm not doing _anything_ with my nanny. I'll have you know that she is an old friend, nothing more. Even if I were to pursue something with her, what does that have to do with my career?"

"Oh, you have no idea. First of all, I'm glad there's nothing going on that I'll have to deal with. Secondly, a rumor or proof of infidelity is detrimental to anyone's career. You don't want to be caught out with her while you are still married. Timothy tells me everything about the guys that he goes out with and most of them aren't very notable people. This Rachel girl is trying to be an actress, this can hurt her career even worse than it would yours. I just want you to be more careful, and let me know if that's something you're doing, okay?"

Quinn thought that the fallout from her past being brought up in the tabloids was bad enough, but this could hurt Rachel as well. She doesn't want to jump into something with her to have everything go wrong. Not when Rachel hasn't even had a chance to have a great career in Hollywood. For as long as she has known Rachel, all she's ever wanted is to be a star. In the end, Rachel's career would come before anything she may feel for Quinn.

She only has time to eat a few chips from the bag before stuffing them back into Ashley's hands and walking into the room.

"Quinn Fabray? Hello, I'm Sam Jung." Says an older Asian man.

"Hi, I am Lee Thomson. Nice to finally meet you."

"Well let's get started, shall we?" says Sam Jung. "Let's start off with the L.A. filming," He goes on into the details of the scenes that are to be filmed in Los Angeles. There will be filming at a mansion in Beverly Hills, some in studio and then some downtown.

"Now when we start in Thailand there will be a documentary crew with us to film behind the scenes. So you'll need to check with us before going out, so that we can send a guy with you on your adventures." says Lee.

They explain the plot and the names of some her co-stars, some of which, Quinn has worked with in the past. Quinn is in love with the romance and beautiful imagery this movie promises to have. She feels excited to work with these producers, since they are going to co-direct the film together and the storyline is inspiring. Quinn finds out that she will be leaving for Thailand towards the middle of October around the 15th. They go over a few storyboards before finishing up. They tell her when she will receive her script and when she will have to come in to do costume fittings. She feels blessed to be a part of this.

She leaves the building with high hopes of success with this project. The only problem she can foresee is spending so much time away from Sarah, at such a young age. She hopes that she will understand that her mommy is going to come back as soon as she can. Just the thought of leaving everyday for over a month to film in L.A. seems like too much. Then to add another month all the way in Thailand feels like the worst thing in the world. She knows that Sarah is too young to travel with her, and by that time, Rachel will be working on her show. Who is going to be there for Sarah? She calms down when she thinks about Tim and she guesses he will take Sarah to his mother's for help with her.

The only thing left to do would be to tell Rachel. She'll have to just come out and tell her everything. Quinn decides not to tell her today, and maybe hold off until it's almost time to film, then she will sit down with her and tell her.

She remembers to call Rachel before heading towards home.

"Hello? Hey, sorry for hanging up on you earlier."

"Oh, it's okay Quinn, I know you were busy. Did everything go okay?"

"Um, yes, I'd say things went very well. But I don't want to talk about business right now, I want to get to more important things."

"Like what?" Rachel asks. Quinn can hear the playful tone in Rachel's voice that borders on flirty, but she doesn't want to lead her on.

"Like…food. Did you make dinner yet?"

"Oh, um, yes. I made the stir-fry I had told you about earlier. We haven't eaten yet, we're waiting for you. Oh, I almost forgot, that package came."

"Great. I'll have to look it over and make sure things look okay. You didn't open it, did you?" Quinn asks playfully.

"No, it is illegal to open someone else's mail. I may have given it a little shake, but I didn't get much from that. It's still intact, and sitting on a side table in the living room."

"Okay, I was just kidding. Thank you for receiving it for me. It's just a magazine interview I did, nothing you would want to see anyway." Quinn could just imagine how boring she was in that interview, she hopes Rachel never sees it.

Quinn gets home just as Rachel finishes setting the table. She picks Sarah up and buckles her into her booster seat.

"You need any help with that?" Quinn asks Rachel as she brings over a dish of delicious looking stir-fry.

"Quinn, wash your hands first and sit down. I know you've had a long day. Let me serve you." Quinn blushes at the thought of having Rachel as her own personal servant. She shakes herself out of it while washing her hands. She splashes herself in the face as well.

By the time she returns, Rachel has everything set up. She takes her seat next to Sarah and looks up to see Rachel staring at her. They look into each others eyes, until Rachel breaks the stare and pours Quinn a glass of juice. She proceeds to actually serve Quinn by putting some of everything on her plate. Quinn watches her, it feels almost too intimate, but she keeps herself from thinking about it. She waits until Rachel is done before digging in.

Once she starts eating, Quinn does not look up from her plate once. She had not been able to eat anything all day. When she does, she sees Rachel staring at her with a wide-eyed expression. She suddenly feels slightly embarrassed, and she begins to chew a little slower as she gives Rachel a small smile.

"Um, I'm sorry, it's just so delicious. Plus I haven't eaten all day…" Quinn explains.

"You don't have to apologize Quinn. I just really wish you had eaten something during the day. I don't ever want anything to happen to you, okay."

This time Rachel's message is loud and clear. Quinn could not ask for anyone more caring than Rachel. She is really going to miss her when this is all over.


	10. Chapter 10

Rachel's p.o.v.

Timothy takes Sarah to go with him to visit his mother. Rachel wonders why Quinn doesn't go along. Quinn explains that Tim's mother isn't very fond of her. Apparently, she is 'too pretty' and his mom thinks she is only with him for the money.

"Well, it does explain the wardrobe." Rachel jokes. Quinn responds with one of her signature glares.

"That really wasn't funny. I cannot help it if people shower me with gifts because of who I am."

Rachel cannot believe what just came out of Quinn Fabray's mouth. She opens her mouth to voice her opinion on Quinn's sudden ego trip, but she's countered with a burst of laughter from her friend.

"Oh my goodness, you should see your face right now. Ha-ha." Rachel watches on as Quinn doubles over in her fit of laughter. Rachel begins to feel her own laughter bubble up and release itself in a mild chuckle. She has to admit, Quinn's giggling is quite adorable. Everything Quinn is pretty adorable right now.

Later in the afternoon, while reading in an armchair, Rachel is startled by Quinn tapping her on the shoulder.

"What is it Quinn?" Rachel asks confusedly.

"Um, I'm bored, do you want to maybe start your swim lessons today? I know we were supposed to start a while ago."

"Oh, sure if you're ready. I was just reading anyway." Rachel says as she gets up and puts her reader away.

Rachel sees this as the perfect opportunity to get Quinn back for before. She puts on her string bikini with the barely there triangles for the ultimate exposure of skin. If Quinn is even remotely attracted to her, this will get a rise out of her. She walks down wrapped in a towel so that Quinn cannot see until they get outside. When she sees Quinn, she almost loses her cool by tripping down the stairs. Luckily, she catches herself and hopes that Quinn did not notice. Quinn's bikini is a lot like hers, leaving nothing to the imagination. Rachel can feel her nipples begin to stiffen as she leers at Quinn. She licks her lips and averts her eyes. '_I'm_ supposed to be doing the seducing,' she tells herself.

Quinn gets into the pool first and looks up at Rachel as she stands at the edge. She smiles down at Quinn and slowly removes her towel to reveal her body. Her nipples get even stiffer when the air hits them. She cannot read Quinn's expression as she squints up at her from the pool.

"Could you get in already, the sun is burning my eyes." Well, that was disappointing, maybe she could be sexier in the pool. Then she thinks about it, why was Quinn worried about the sun burning her eyes? She smirks to herself as she carefully walks down the steps into the water allowing Quinn to guide her into the pool by the arm.

"Careful," Quinn warns.

"Whoa, the water feels really cold." Quinn nods in agreement.

"Yeah, so first things first, water safety. It is better to breathe air through your mouth only as you swim and if you ever find yourself down at the bottom of a pool I want you to do something called 'bobbing'."

"What's that?"

"It's when you are at the bottom of the pool and you jump as hard as you can to propel yourself upwards to get air as soon as possible."

"Okay,"

"I'll show you how another day. Today, I want to show you how to float and how to move your arms and legs in the water."

"Alright," She watches as Quinn shows her how to float on her stomach and she gets how to do it right away. "Well, that was easy." Rachel says proudly.

"Oh really? I'll bet you'll have a harder time floating on your back."

"How do you do that?" Quinn tells her to lie back and relax.

"You keep your legs straight, toes pointed and slightly arch your back."

She tries, but she almost goes under. Quinn catches her by placing her hands under her back for support. Rachel tenses because she didn't expect to feel Quinn's gentle, yet firm hands on her body.

"I told you it was hard. Would you relax? Let me guide you." Rachel swallows hard and tries to allow herself to relax. She lets Quinn have complete control of her body. She feels weightless as she floats on her back with her eyes closed, facing the sun. After a few minutes, Quinn abruptly removes her hands and Rachel has to catch herself by standing up.

"Hey, why'd you let me go?" she frowns at Quinn, who dips her head under water, comes up and then splashes Rachel with water.

"We need to move on if you want to learn how to glide today."

"Alright, let's do it." Rachel does not buy that excuse, but she allows Quinn to slide this time. She still misses the feeling of Quinn's hands on her body. She contemplates doing something so that Quinn will have to grab her again. Then she remembers that she is supposed to be learning how to swim. Quinn shows her how to position her hands in front of her and then she pushes off the wall and shoots off. Rachel watches Quinn do it before trying it herself.

"She's like a freaking mermaid, damn." Rachel mumbles to herself.

After practicing the glide a few times, Quinn shows Rachel how to move her arms as she kicks to propel herself forward. Rachel begins to get it after a while, and then Quinn tells her that they should go inside so that she could start dinner.

Rachel showers and then decides to see how Quinn handles seeing her in one of her sleep tanks, braless of course. She kind of feels bad for teasing Quinn, knowing full well that she's married. Tim is never home, and hardly spends any time with Quinn and she pretended not to notice the separate bedrooms, but that is definitely a sign of trouble in her book. Boosted with a little confidence sends her down to dinner, after a last minute change into something a bit classier of course. She went with her loose fitting cream top with tiny black shorts. She styled her hair in big waves quickly so that it would have a messy look and made sure to put on eye makeup and a little concealer and lip gloss.

The extra effort was worth it when she makes it into the kitchen receiving a double take from Quinn.

"You look...pretty." Quinn tells her.

"Thanks, I only showered and threw myself together as fast as I could, so that I could come and help you. What can I do?" she is hopeful at the fact that Quinn has not looked at her again since her complement. 'It has to mean something,' she thinks.

"Um, you can chop up those carrots I guess. Diced." Quinn throws over her shoulder, not making eye contact once. Rachel decides to up her game.

"Quinn?"

"Yes,"

"Did I do something wrong?" Quinn drops her knife.

"No, why would you think something like that?" Quinn asks her.

"I don't know, you've been acting weird and avoiding eye contact with me ever since I came down." Rachel bites her lip to keep from smiling.

"Oh, no, it's me. I'm just a little...tired, that's all." Quinn says as she resumes her chopping.

Rachel is impressed by her composure, aside from that pause before she chose the word tired as her excuse. This dinner is going to be fun.

They set the smaller dinner table for two before bringing out the meal that Quinn prepared for them.

"Tim's eating at his mother's so we have this all to ourselves." Quinn says quickly before bowing her head to pray. Rachel surprises Quinn by grabbing both of her hands in an attempt to join her.

"What? I want to join you in your pre dinner prayer tonight." Quinn looks up at her then, with the softest expression. Rachel feels faint.

"Really? You don't have to. I'm used to doing it alone."

"Quinn, you shouldn't have to do anything alone. I mean, you're married and you have a beautiful daughter…I don't know about Tim, but if had someone like you by my side, I'd support them in whatever they chose to do." Rachel cringes slightly. She did not want to come on too strong there. She makes a mental note to work on her subtlety.

"I'm glad you want to join me, but I don't believe in forcing my beliefs and practices onto those around me." Quinn says with a pleasant smile.

"Does it make you happier knowing that you're not forcing me to do it? I'm joining you in prayer out of pure support of your beliefs, even if they slightly differ from my own." Rachel quirks an eyebrow and gives Quinn a smile back.

"Well I guess I cannot argue with such an intelligent response. So let's start shall we." Quinn bows her head and Rachel follows suit. "You know, since you're being so nice, why don't you say grace?"

Rachel can feel her eyes bulge. She had not thought of that. Quinn Fabray plays the game better than she had expected. She swallows nervously.

"Um, God?" Of course it would be God, but she thinks she should start with something else. "Bless this amazing meal that…we are about to enjoy tonight. Thank you God," She looks up unsurely at Quinn who still has her eyes closed, except now she looks as if she were suppressing laughter. "a-and also Jesus as well. Oh and Amen, right?" She takes a deep breath to try and calm herself. She could feel sweat beginning to form on her forehead. She lets out a nervous giggle and that sends Quinn over the edge.

"Hahahaha, wow. I…" Quinn trails off into even more laughter. Rachel is not amused.

"It wasn't that bad Quinn. For never having said grace, I'd say I did a pretty decent job. Thank you very much." Rachel says with a huff. Quinn stops laughing and looks up at Rachel and clears her throat.

"You're right. I apologize, it was very sweet of you to even want to participate. Thank you Rachel." Rachel stares at Quinn blankly, she cannot believe some of the things Quinn says nowadays.

"No, thank you Quinn, you've been extremely hospitable towards me ever since I arrived and I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate it. You've become such an amazing woman, and I, I really admire you Quinn."

Rachel immediately feels burning in her cheeks with the way Quinn is looking at her right now. There had always been so many emotions behind a look from Quinn, and Rachel does not even want to think about the one that she sees in her eyes tonight. It would explain so many things that have happened lately, the subtle flirting, the blushing, the not so subtle pool activities...could Quinn feel the same way that she feels? What does it mean if she does?


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thank you all again for the favs, follows and reviews. There will be some progression after this chapter.

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Quinn p.o.v.

The magazine hits stands in two weeks, Ashley tells her in a text this warm morning. It is the middle of June and it has been a while, but ever since that meeting last week, Quinn feels ready to go back to work. Ashley tells her to stop in to meet with the producers again later on today.

Quinn gets up, showers and gets dressed. She checks in on Sarah but she is still sound asleep. She goes to look in Rachel's room but doesn't find her in there. She thinks she would have left her a note or something if she would be going out today. She goes downstairs to look for her there after looking out of her bedroom window to check the backyard. She gets downstairs and checks the kitchen, both living rooms, and some of the other rooms down there. She makes a mental note to call the maid later on today. Finally, it dawns on her, she must be down in the basement.

As Quinn descends the basement stairwell, she hears loud pop music playing. Rachel is in the dance studio practicing what looks like choreography, possibly from her tv show. Quinn smiles and looks on as she moves closer and closer to the dance studio through the gym. Rachel does a sloppy spin move and almost jumps out of her skin when she sees Quinn watching at her.

"Quinn! You scared the hell out of me!" Rachel yells, slightly out of breath.

"Sorry, I was looking for you, but I didn't want to disturb you. Is that from the show?"

"Yes, I was told to work on my dancing since it isn't my strong suit. I haven't really had any time since I got here to practice, but I made some time today."

"Oh I'm sorry, you've been busy with Sarah. If you need any pointers I'll be glad to help you out." Quinn is sincere in her offer. She really feels bad about keeping Rachel from taking time for herself to prepare.

"Really Quinn, are you sure? I have been having trouble with the smoothness of my body rolls." Quinn mentally chastises herself again. It just had to be a sexy dance move that was giving Rachel trouble.

"Oh-okay…I believe I still know enough to teach you how to do it. Um, can you show me a little of the choreo leading up to the body roll?" Quinn asks.

Rachel shows her a few steps and then attempts the body roll. Quinn can see where she has it wrong, she isn't being smooth on the follow through. Quinn repeats the steps that Rachel just showed her and ended with a smooth body roll. She then repeated the body roll a little slower to show her what she was doing wrong.

"So did I get that right?" Quinn looks over at Rachel and follows her line of sight down to her own hips. Rachel's head snaps up and she clears her throat as Quinn raises an eyebrow in question.

"Yes, yes you are so… right, um yes, those were the correct moves. Um, can you show me the body roll again?" Quinn cannot help the smirk that appears on her face. She shows Rachel again and she seems to be paying attention this time.

"So you think you have it now?" Quinn asks.

"I don't know, let me try it again." Rachel says with a giggle. Quinn steps back and watches her. She is still a little stiff, so Quinn puts her hands on Rachel's hips to guide her.

"I'm going to guide you through it okay?" Quinn gets a silent nod in response. A new slower song starts to play on the stereo and Quinn contemplates running over there and turning it off. Rachel begins to move before she got a chance to do it. She guides Rachel so that she can see them both in the mirror at the same time. Then she begins to move with Rachel while holding onto her hips.

They begin a little awkwardly, but then Rachel starts to get the hang of it. Quinn gets a whiff of Rachel's hair and pulls her a little closer while continuing to grind. She realizes what she just had done and removes her hands from Rachel's waist. Quinn is mortified. She feels like such a creep, sniffing Rachel's hair like that without her knowing it.

"Hey, why'd you stop?" Rachel asks, turning around and looking at her. Quinn swallows thickly and thinks of something fast.

"Um, it looks like you've got it." She says with a reassuring nod. "Do you need help with anything else?" She asks with her eyes cast downward.

"No, not today, I'm really tired. I'll be up in a minute after I clean up down here. Thank you, Quinn. I would have never gotten it if you hadn't shown me." Quinn nods while still looking at the ground.

"No problem. I'll go start breakfast. Do you want anything specific?"

"No, whatever's fine. As long as it isn't bacon." Rachel says playfully.

Quinn laughs as she goes back upstairs. That was both sexually tense but awkward at the same time. She is so embarrassed of herself, behaving that way with Rachel. It was almost as if touching Rachel caused her to lose control of herself. Well, that settles it, she will just have to keep her hands to herself around Rachel from now on.

She starts making breakfast, a sweet treat of vegan-friendly French toasts with strawberry preserves and powdered sugar. She thinks about it and decides to cut up some extra fruit for a healthy side. She bends down in the refrigerator to get some kiwi fruit when someone grabs her sides causing her to let out a yelp.

"Jesus, Rachel! You scared the hell out of me!" Rachel hops onto a bar stool laughing incredibly hard. Quinn frowns at her. She just began her vow to avoid contact with Rachel and now this.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. It was only payback for earlier." Rachel says. Quinn remembers scaring Rachel when she was in the dance studio and begins laughing at herself.

"Well I guess that makes us even then." Quinn hears tiny footsteps approaching the kitchen. Sarah. She closes the fridge and picks her up.

"I'm hungry momma." Sarah says, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Okay, the French toast is almost done. Let's go wash up first okay. Rachel can you watch those toasts while I go upstairs?"

"Sure." Rachel says as she jumps up and goes over to the cook top.

They talk over breakfast and Quinn decides that this is as good a time as any to break the news about her filming to Rachel as well as Sarah.

"So," she begins.

"I think that I may be going back to work really soon." Rachel looks surprised, yet happy, so Quinn continues. "I already auditioned for the part but nothing's written in stone just yet. The thing is, half of the movie will be filmed here in L.A. but the other half will be filmed in Thailand."

"When are you going to start?" Rachel asks looking concerned.

"Well the L.A. filming starts in a week, around the 25th and the trip to Thailand will be in October because of the weather out there. I have already arranged with Timothy and his mother to look after Sarah when it's time for me to leave."

"What do you mean, Quinn? Does this mean I-I'm fired?" Quinn cannot help but laugh a little. Rachel has always been inclined to jump to conclusions.

"No silly, you're still hired to watch Sarah up until you land that part on that show. So by the time October rolls around, you'll surely be too busy to babysit." She explains.

Rachel's face grows serious after Quinn finishes explaining her reasoning behind her actions. Quinn notices Rachel's sadness as she helps Sarah clean up after eating. Quinn tries to convince herself that it is only because Rachel has grown so attached to Sarah over these last few months.

"Well in that case, congratulations Quinn. You're going to do great. I only hope things will work out for me on that show. I kind of miss performing, you know."

"Yeah, I understand completely." Quinn cannot help but feel like this is leading up to a sad goodbye somewhere near in the future. She decides to change the subject. "So, you're going to have to keep Sarah while I go to another meeting today with the producers. Is that okay?"

"Sure Quinn, it _is_ my job you know. It just sometimes feels like a little more than that." Little does Rachel know, but Quinn knows exactly how she feels.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I skipped about a month and a half to get past Quinn's filming in L.A. It's better to tell this part from Quinn's p.o.v. because she's the one with the problem. This chapter is a little long, but I think you all will be satisfied with the outcome.

* * *

Quinn p.o.v.

It's August 1st and Quinn is glad that the L.A. filming is nearly done, she needs a break so that she can hit up her favorite spa again. She sits in her trailer alone, just like all of the other days. Most of the other people on set sort of stay out of her way and she likes it that way.

"Hey Quinn? Hi, sorry for barging in. They're ready for you on set." Quinn sighs and waves a hand at whoever that was to tell them she heard them. She slowly gets up and checks her makeup in the mirror. She gets to set and says hello to Sam and Lee completely ignoring everyone else.

They start the scene and Quinn delivers her lines perfectly each time. The only problem is one of her co-stars, Karen, keeps flubbing her lines left and right. Quinn crosses her arms whilst shaking her head each time at her, but it doesn't help.

"Do you mind maybe taking it easy on her, Quinn?" Sam asks.

"I'm sorry, but she should learn her damn lines." Quinn says in frustration. She cannot believe he is asking her to go easy on the idiot.

"I know it's frustrating and you are a supreme professional, but this is her first major role. You know how that feels, right?" Quinn takes a deep breath and thinks about it.

"I'll try, but it is completely unacceptable at this point." He nods in agreement with her. She knows she is right.

They give it a few more tries, and Karen almost makes it through the scene without a flaw until the end. Quinn sees red. Something inside of her snapped and she unleashed about a month of frustrations on poor Karen, causing her to burst into tears. The minute she sees her cry, Quinn tries to apologize, but Karen runs off set.

Quinn looks around and realizes that the whole crew had stopped moving, and no one made a sound since she flipped her lid. She cannot believe that she lost control like that with Karen. It has been extremely stressful for Quinn to be away from Sarah for so many hours this past month. She knew she would hate being away from home, but she never knew how high her stress level had gotten.

"Okay, so I guess that is all for today, since one of our actors is off crying like a baby somewhere. Can someone go check on her?" Sam asks while shaking his head at Quinn.

"Sam, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. She just…I don't know. I'm going to apologize to her. I feel really bad."

"Hey, I can't say I didn't see it coming. You're a perfectionist and you wanna do a good job. You just gotta find a balance between work and play. I appreciate your dedication to this film, but I want you to enjoy yourself a little more, okay." Sam says as he throws an arm over her shoulders. He walks her to her trailer and they stop at her stairs. Quinn looks over at Karen's trailer and sighs.

"I think I'll go try and apologize to her." Quinn says.

"Good luck, I can already see the headlines for this 'feud' in my brain. You know, I think you're gonna love Thailand, the beautiful scenery alone can brighten anyone's mood."

"I hope so. Goodnight, Sam." Sam gives her a wave as he walks away. Quinn squares her shoulders and prepares her apologetic expression.

She knocks on the door to Karen's trailer and her assistant opens the door.

"She doesn't want to see anyone right now." Quinn glares at the woman, crossing her arms to complete her intimidating stance.

"I want to apologize. We have to work together, and I feel bad about what I did so…" The woman lets her in. Quinn walks in and stares at the woman until she exits the trailer. She goes over to Karen, who is in a ball on her couch.

"Karen, it's me, Quinn. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean all of those things I said to you. You are a great actress, I was just frustrated with you, that's all. I feel terrible for making you cry, I am sorry."

"Oh Quinn," Karen jumps up and throws her arms around Quinn's neck, crying again. Quinn is shocked to say the least, confused would be next on the list.

"Um, Karen? I said that I was sorry." Karen finally pulls back, grabbing some tissue and wiping away some of her tears.

"I know you apologized Quinn, these are happy tears. I'd thought that you had hated me. You never smile when you say hi to me, and you're always short when we talk. Everyone on set says that you're a bitch, but I never believed them. You are so beautiful... I always have trouble with my lines when doing scenes with you. You, you're always exceptional, I feel like I'm watching you on my tv screen or something, and then I forget that I'm supposed to be working." Karen takes a deep breath after that long confession.

Quinn cannot help but think that this just keeps getting worse. She would much rather this girl think of her as a bitch, than having some sort of crush on her.

"Uh, I don't know what to say to any of that really. You do know that I'm married, right?"

"Yes, I know that. I just had to fess up about it to you, and maybe you could understand why I was acting the way that I was. Hopefully now that everything is out in the open, I won't be so nervous around you, and you might not snap at me again." Karen laughs.

"Okay good, I look forward to working with you again next week and in Thailand. I've got to get home. I haven't seen my daughter before bedtime in a while. Bye." Quinn leaves Karen's trailer feeling a lot better than she has in a long time.

Finding out that a younger woman finds her so beautiful that she has trouble working, is a small part of it. The real reason Quinn feels happy is because she gets a few days off to spend with Sarah and see Rachel again. This past month, she has noticed that Rachel and Sarah were bonding and getting closer without her around. She hated missing out on special moments with her daughter and missing all of the fun she would have with Rachel and Tim. All month it had been all work and no play, and just as Sam said, she needs a balance. Quinn hopes to find it soon.

Quinn spends the entire weekend at home with Sarah and Rachel, finally feeling the relaxation she has been needing. By the time Sunday rolls around, Quinn cannot believe her mini vacation is almost over. She feels hopeful though, since Tuesday is her last day of shooting until October.

"Hey honey, long time no see." Tim says as he pops into the kitchen.

"I have been working my butt off on that film."

"I-I know, you have been really out of it lately. What's going on? And what's this I've heard about you having an outburst on Friday?" Quinn hates how on set rumors spread like wildfires in this town.

"I've handled it, I apologized and I explained about my being stressed lately. It's fine, I swear." Tim's eyebrows raise up and Quinn feels as if he is reading her mind. "I know what you're going to say, and I'm here to tell you that you're wrong."

"And what was I going to say?" He asks.

"You always jump to me and Rachel, and I'm telling you, it couldn't be farther from the truth."

"Oh please, you've never stopped thinking about her, Quinn. Every time I try to set you up, you say no. Once you told me about your past, I knew that you were in love with Rachel. Those feelings obviously never left, and somehow she returned to your life with a bow practically on top of her head. Ever since she came, you have been so much happier and cheerful. Up until recently, that is. For three months, you three had been inseparable and then you go back to work and you seem like the life has been sucked out of you. I think it'll make you happier to tell Rachel how you feel, you owe it to yourself to be happy." Quinn hates it when Tim gets _real_ with her, always so brutally honest.

"I went on one date Tim, don't you remember? That secretary, April at Tammy's office, does that ring a bell? I am not hung up on Rachel Berry, we're friends and I may have missed her a little. Maybe I'm just jealous because she gets to spend so much time with Sarah." Quinn faux shrugs. Trying to hold onto what little stronghold she has over her feelings. Tim shakes his head.

"I really think you should at least tell her the truth about us. Maybe she'll tell you how she feels first and then you two could talk about it, alright."

"We'll see." Quinn replies defiantly. Tim sighs as he pulls her into a hug, he kisses the top of her head.

"Always so stubborn!" He laughs as he squeezes her.

Quinn says goodbye to Tim at the front door as he leaves. He tells her again about being honest and she waves him off. He kisses her cheek and sighs sadly before shaking his head and walking out the door. Quinn immediately bursts into tears.

She is so afraid of losing Rachel when she finds out the truth. She doesn't want to disappoint her. Quinn thinks it would be better to let Rachel move on and start her career before getting caught up in her drama. It would be better that way, it has to be, she thinks. It would be too easy to tell Rachel the truth and confessing her love. She could divorce Tim, turn around, and marry Rachel! It would be like a fairy tale, except fairy tales are not real, and things do not go that smoothly in real life. She is startled from her thoughts by a noise coming from the living room.

Rachel appears in the foyer where Quinn has been standing while crying.

"Are you, crying? What did Tim do? Have you guys been fighting?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that. I've been a little stressed lately with filming and I was just venting."

"Are you sure, because I didn't want to say anything, but I've been worried about you Quinn. I don't know why you're covering for him, but he leaves here practically every night. Aren't you at least suspicious?"

Quinn cannot say anything so she shakes her head minutely.

"Really? All I know is, if I had you to go to bed with, I damn sure would not be leaving this house every night."

Quinn knows she looks shocked, to hear something like that come from Rachel's mouth. She takes note that Rachel looks a little proud of herself.

"Actually, you know what, I can't hold it in any longer Quinn, I…" Quinn really hopes she doesn't say it.

"I like you, Quinn. A-as in, I have feelings for you… romantically."

Quinn mentally checks herself, she needs to keep it together.

"I-I'm married, you know that." Quinn pitifully counters.

"I know, I know, but I cannot stop thinking about you Quinn, and I-I know you must be having some similar feelings for me, right?" Rachel asks pleadingly.

She turns away, not wanting Rachel to see her guilty expression.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Quinn lies.

"Quinn, I've seen the way you look at me alright." Tears sting Quinn's eyes as she begins crying again. She runs a hand through her hair and tries to regain some composure.

"Look at you, how?" Quinn actually wants to know the answer to this one.

"I can't explain it, but you just have this way of looking at me, and I know this sounds cliché, but it makes my heart skip a beat. I don't know, maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions and I've just made a fool of myself."

More tears seemed to come from nowhere and Quinn suddenly feels warm all over. It takes her a second to register that Rachel is hugging her.

"It's okay Quinn. You don't have to say anything, it'll be alright."

She looks down at the woman she loves with her arms wrapped tightly around her torso. She wraps her arms around Rachel as if she were holding on for dear life. They stayed there hugging for, Quinn doesn't even know how long before quietly going to bed. Wordlessly promising to talk more later.

The next day Quinn wakes up early and leaves to go to set. She texts Tim in the afternoon to tell him they need to talk when she gets home tonight. She calls Rachel right after, only to check up on Sarah, not even holding a conversation with her like usual. She wasn't ready to tell Rachel the truth yet, about her marriage or her feelings. She really needed to talk to Tim tonight before saying anything to Rachel.

She doesn't want to hurt her, but just explain why things won't be easy for them. Hopefully Rachel will be turned off by the whole false marriage and suggest they stay friends. As much as Quinn will hate it, she knows Rachel will be happier in the long run.

When Quinn gets home, she's so exhausted. She feels like taking a long hot bath and just going to bed. She only gets as far as the bath when someone knocks on her door. She tells them to come in and she's relieved to see it's Timothy.

"Hey,"

"Hey yourself, you wanted to talk?" Tim asks.

Quinn takes a deep breath and nods her head as she goes into her walk in to get some pajamas. She quickly changes and comes back into her room and stretches out on her bed. Tim follows and they lie side by side on their stomachs facing each other.

"So, you tell her yet?" Quinn frowns guiltily. "Oh Quinn, you have to tell her and see what she says."

"We talked last night, after you left, she told me she had feelings for me."

"What? Quinn that's great! But, you still haven't told her, why?"

"I want to, but then I think about how she'll react, she is going to hate me for lying to her."

"If she really likes you, she'll be more forgiving than that."

"Maybe you're right, maybe she will, but then what? What's going to happen?"

"Calm down, you need to take this one step at a time. Just be honest with her and with yourself as well."

"I'm scared Tim, what if things don't work out? I couldn't handle losing her after being with her like that. If we decide to take that step, I want forever, and I'm not so sure if Rachel is willing to give up her career to settle down with me."

There's a knock on the door. Quinn tells Rachel to come in.

"Oh I'm sorry. I'll come back later." Quinn almost panics seeing the painful look on Rachel's face. She hates herself for keeping this secret from her.

"Hey, no, come back in Rachel. You weren't interrupting anything." Tim tells her. "I noticed that you've been a little short with me lately and Quinn told me that you were worried about our relationship. Now what I'm about to tell you may surprise you, but it isn't Quinn's fault that it was kept secret from you for so long." Rachel looks confused and looks to Quinn for an answer.

"I'm gay Rachel," Tim continues. "And me and Quinn's marriage although real on paper, is a big lie. We're both really sorry and if you feel like you can't trust us, I'd like you to know that Quinn has sacrificed so much for me and Sarah over the years. She has become my best friend and hopefully I'm still hers. I've noticed how close you two have become and I felt it was time to tell you the truth. I'll go check on Sarah and leave you to talk."

"Come here." Quinn calls Rachel over to her.

Rachel walks over and sits next to Quinn on the bed. She can feel Rachel's eyes on her. Quinn takes a deep breath before looking back up at Rachel. She tells Rachel the whole story from the beginning and by the time she's done, they are both lying down on their backs side by side. Rachel sits up and Quinn notices her wiping away tears. Quinn doesn't know what compels her to do it, but she reaches up and wipes a tear from Rachel's face. Her hand lingers on Rachel's cheek as they stare into each others eyes.

So, now you know the truth. Rachel places her hand on top of the one Quinn still has on her face and squeezes. She begins to lean forward and Quinn feels light headed as her breath hitches and her eyes close. Their lips touch lightly, brushing against each other as they shakily begin moving together. Soon Quinn feels something within her seem to explode and she starts to kiss with more urgency and need.

She brings her other hand up and into Rachel's long silky tresses, tugging lightly as she licks at her bottom lip. Rachel allows her lips to part even more, allowing Quinn to deepen the kiss. The minute their tongues meet, Quinn feels as if electricity were flowing through her entire body. A moan escapes Rachel's throat soon after, causing Quinn to feel an ache below her waist. She pulls back from the kiss and looks at Rachel, eyes still closed, lips slightly puffy and parted, she never looked sexier. As much as Quinn would like to continue this, she knows it would be too much too soon.

"Why'd you stop?" Rachel looks at her almost pouting. Quinn stands up to put a little space between them because she knows if Rachel asks her again she will be forced to react the way that she wants to.

"We couldn't do that much longer."

"What, why not? Was it, not good?" Rachel asks looking down at her hands.

"No Rachel, it was the opposite of that."

"So… you enjoyed it?"

"Yes, very much so. That's why we had to stop. I'm not sure if I'd be able to control myself."

"Oh." Rachel nods.

"I think we have a lot more to talk about. Tomorrow, perhaps?"

Quinn watches as Rachel nods and gets up to walk out. Instead, Rachel comes over to Quinn and kisses her softly once more before saying goodnight and going to bed. After she's gone, Quinn dives face down on her bed. Somehow the scent of Rachel's hair is left behind on her comforter. She buries her face deeper into it, inhaling and remembering that sweet smell from before. Floral, with a hint of vanilla, maybe it's perfume or shampoo, but she'll forever associate it with Rachel.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last part. There's some angst ahead, but it is necessary for this story.

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Rachel's p.o.v.

Rachel wakes up the next day feeling as if she may have dreamed that kiss from Quinn. Now that she knows that Quinn is Tim's beard, everything makes perfect sense. She still doesn't understand why Quinn did not tell the other night when she confessed having feelings for her. She wants to be angry at Quinn, but she still doesn't have enough answers about the way Quinn is feeling right now.

She goes downstairs for breakfast and finds Timothy in there cooking. She gives him a big hug from behind.

"Someone's feeling good today." He says.

"I'm really sorry for snapping at you yesterday, I just thought that you were hurting Quinn."

"It's okay. So did you two talk things out?"

"She told me everything about you two but she didn't say anything about us though. But, we were kinda busy with other things."

"What? You guys had sex?" He asks in a scandalized tone.

"Oh my god! Would you lower your voice! No, we didn't have sex. We did kiss though." Rachel blushes at the memory of last night.

"Aww, so where is she now?"

"Wait, Quinn isn't here?" Timothy shakes his head.

"I thought she would have told _you_ that she was going out, she apparently has Sarah with her, so I guess you have the day off. Here, have some whole wheat pancakes." He says dropping a few onto a plate and handing it to her.

Rachel begins to worry that Quinn left to purposely avoid her this morning. When she finishes eating, she gets her book and takes it with her downstairs in the basement to read. After about an hour of reading, Rachel decides to vent her frustrations in the gym. She begins with the elliptical and ends with the punching bag. She stops after becoming sweaty, and decided it was time to go up and shower.

On her way up to the third floor, she runs into Quinn, who looks as if she has just gotten back in.

"Hey," is all that Rachel can think to say.

"Hey Rachel, um, working out I see." Quinn says while nodding.

"Yeah, uh I was just going to go up and take a shower." Rachel doesn't know why she feels so nervous talking to Quinn now, but she does. Maybe it is because she doesn't know where she stands with Quinn.

"Oh, okay, um is Tim still here?" Quinn asks.

"I think so, _he_ probably would have said something before leaving." Rachel says as she crosses her arms across her chest. She can see Quinn's expression change when she realizes that was a jab at her.

"Rachel, you were asleep, I didn't want to wake you. I went to finish up some things on set and I took Sarah to give you a break. Anyway, I needed to take some alone time with Sarah. I'm leaving in October and I want to be with her as much as I can until then."

"You don't have to explain anything to me. I guess after last night, you were avoiding me." Rachel looks directly at Quinn, who seems to be looking anywhere but Rachel.

"I-I was not…okay, maybe I was avoiding you. But, I know we need to talk and, we'll talk, soon. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay Quinn, just, don't shut me out. I want you to feel like you can still talk to me. The kiss doesn't have to change anything." But, Rachel _does_ want the kiss to change _every_thing. She wants Quinn to realize that they can still be friends, but also much, much more.

After her shower, Rachel decides to go do some shopping for herself. She wants to buy a few new tops, she also needs a new bra and some other toiletries. She makes sure to tell Quinn and Timothy that she would be going out for a few hours and she'll be taking the Benz. She gets to Rodeo and stops in Dior before hitting up Prada. She holds off going into Chanel because she already found some blouses and also a few pair bra and panty sets and she didn't want to completely overspend.

She stops by Elderberries to get her favorite very berry vegan smoothie before heading home. At the last minute, she decides to get one for Quinn as well. Maybe Quinn will consider it an olive branch and want to talk about things.

Rachel goes straight upstairs to Quinn's room when she gets back. When she doesn't find her there, she calls out for her and hears that she's in the kitchen. She drops her bags off in her room and runs downstairs carefully, as not to spill the smoothies.

"Hey, I got you a berry smoothie." Rachel says as she hands it off to Quinn.

"Thanks," Quinn says before taking a big sip. "It's delicious." She goes for another one.

They sit in silence as they sip their smoothies, Rachel sitting on a barstool and Quinn leaning on the island.

"So, what did you get?" Rachel is caught off guard by Quinn's sudden question.

"What?"

"You just went out shopping, I was asking what you bought."

"Oh, just a few tops and some underwear. One of the tops is see-through so I bought a nice black bra to go under it."

"I bet you'll look nice in it." Quinn says.

Rachel is about fed up with the small talk already. She decides to put a stop to it.

"Okay, you know what Quinn, I can't just make small talk with you right now." Quinn looks almost offended. Rachel doesn't care, she is tired of being an open book while Quinn holds her own feelings hostage.

"We need to talk about what happened last night."

Quinn rolls her shoulders while stretching her neck, which means that Rachel is getting to her.

"I know we need to talk. I just don't think you'll be ready to hear what I have to say." Quinn replies.

And there it is, Rachel had a bad feeling after she found out that Quinn was avoiding her this morning. Quinn sits her smoothie on the counter and walks into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. Rachel follows suit and takes her seat in one of the brown armchairs across from Quinn.

"I had Tim take Sarah over to his mother's tonight. I didn't want any interruptions." Another wave of silence engulfs the room. Rachel thinks carefully about what she is going to say to Quinn.

"I-I care about you, a lot Quinn and I want to know if you feel the same way about me."

"Isn't it obvious? You said the other day that you knew because of the way I looked at you."

"I also said that I wasn't really sure about that. I need to hear it from you." Quinn's eyes snap up and connect with hers for a second before she pulls away.

"I do care about you Rachel, but it's not that simple. We don't just tell each other that we care about each other and then have everything be alright. That's not how it works." Rachel can see the redness in Quinn's eyes. She can feel her own tears begin to sting her eyes.

"Well, tell me how it works Quinn! Because I don't know anything anymore!" Quinn winces while shaking her head.

"You can't just come back into my life and expect me to turn it upside down for you. I have a lot at risk."

"I know I'm asking a lot from you, but why can't we at least give it a try?"

"We just…cant." A quiet sob comes out of Quinn's mouth as her tears begin to flow, but Rachel is too far gone to give up now.

"Why not?"

"For one thing, I _am_ still married."

"Oh please Quinn, it's just a sham, a fake PR manufactured piece of..."

Quinn glares at her. Rachel digresses.

"It's nothing compared to how I feel about you Quinn. Why can't you see that we belong together? Fate brought us back into each other's lives for a reason. You know, you're the reason that I came all the way to Hollywood, leaving behind Broadway for a chance to become famous enough to..."

She blinks back tears of her own. She takes time to collect her thoughts before speaking again.

"I saw you and your husband on the cover of some magazine and I felt a pang of something that I at first thought was jealousy, but now I know that it was just old feelings that never went away. Just thinking that you were happy out here and enjoying yourself, I wanted to be a part of it, somehow. I imagined us seeing each other at some award show or something and being reacquainted. Then maybe we'd begin talking again. We would start meeting to go shopping, o-or to get coffee...it would have been enough...back then. But now...it's too late, and I'm no longer closed off from my feelings for you. We cannot just be friends."

"So that's it? It's all or nothing? How can you be so sure that you want this? After you start your new show, you're going to move out of here, and meet new people, you'll forget about me soon enough."

"Quinn, how can you think like that? I-I was hoping that we we're at least friends now and you'd want me to stay, because I love…Sarah, but now, I don't know why you're talking like this."

"Well, you're going to have to move out of here when you start working. I mean, people will start to wonder, if you still lived here after gaining notoriety. Ashley will tell you, the media have ways of finding out where celebrities live."

"You think I care about people finding out that I live here! Damn it, I _do_ live here Quinn! I cannot believe you right now. This is like another form of Cheerleader Quinn Fabray, always obsessed with what other people thought of her while putting her true feelings on the back burner. If having a career in Hollywood means that I cannot have a personal life, then I don't want that kind of career."

She takes a breath to calm down a little before continuing.

"When I was on Broadway, I could do whatever I wanted and no one judged me. I could go on dates with women and no one took a second look. So excuse me if I'm not used to covering my tracks and being in hiding about my feelings."

"That's just it, I don't want you to feel pressured into doing anything you don't want to do. You think that this is easy for me, I don't want to put my family on the line to have it blow up in my face. I can't do it again, Rachel."

"Quinn, please, just _think_ about it okay. Now that I know the truth, I couldn't sit idly by while the woman that I care about is within my reach and not do anything. I had to tell you how I feel and now that you know, I'll leave it up to you. You decide our fate now Quinn. You have the power to make us, or...break us."

Quinn sniffles loudly but says nothing in return. Rachel shakes her head, she cannot believe Quinn is giving up on them before they have even begun.

"I think it'd be best if I went and stayed at a hotel tonight to cool off. M-maybe for a little longer than that. I'm going to go call a cab to come and get me."

Rachel feels a new surge of tears begin to erupt as she gathers whatever she can and packs it up into her duffel. She hopes that she would not have to come back later to get the rest of her things. She knows that Quinn is scared, but she needs to do this to show her what it would be like without her. She goes downstairs when she hears the intercom buzzer. Quinn is still on the living room couch. She stands when she sees Rachel with her bag in her hand.

"The car is here. I'm going back to the Hilton tonight and I'll come back to get the rest of my things tomorrow, if necessary." She gets out of the front door before Quinn says anything.

"Rachel, this is stupid. I just think you're not thinking realistically about this."

That is _so_ not what Rachel wants to hear from Quinn, but she maintains her composure. She hands the driver her bag so that he can put it into the trunk.

"Goodbye Quinn."

Rachel turns on her heel and gets into the Towncar waiting for her. She looks up at Quinn's tear stained face glistening in the moonlight. How could someone so beautiful be so broken inside to the point of thinking that they don't deserve any happiness? Rachel has to admit that she once felt that way about herself, back in high school. But after being dumped by Finn and starting college, a new side of Rachel berry was awakened. The take no prisoners side, the side that is not going to give up on Quinn.

Rachel opens the door to her new Homewood suite and it is much smaller than the one she had before. It was the only one available in such short notice. She begins to unpack everything and put her things in the drawers and closet. As she puts her things away, she thinks about one thing Quinn said to her tonight. Quinn is damn sure that she is going to get that part on that show. And thanks to Quinn, her dancing has improved. If she does get that call, Joe will be pleasantly surprised at the results.

She opens her duffle bag and pulls out a hoodie, when something falls out of the pocket. It's one of Sarah's toys, she must have put into Rachel's pocket one day. She picks up the toy carefully and takes a seat on the bed. The tears begin to fall at the pain of missing her little angel princess already. She hadn't been away from little Sarah for almost four months straight. She was bound to develop a strong relationship with her. If it had been anyone else's child, Rachel would have chunked it off as part of the job, but this wasn't just any child and it was more than a job.

Rachel doesn't even know how everything went so wrong so fast. She feels as if she just left her family and her home behind. She clutches the toy to her chest and cries herself to sleep thinking about how much she loves Sarah and Quinn, and how much she wishes they were a real family.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Warning: This chapter is rated M. Sorry if anyone has a problem with it.

* * *

Quinn's p.o.v.

Quinn wakes up with a pounding headache from her late night alcohol binge after Rachel left. It's what she gets for never drinking. When she decided to have Sarah, she had stopped smoking and drinking altogether. She only drinks on special occasions now, and last night was definitely a special circumstance.

Tim comes home with Sarah later on in the afternoon. He shouts her name loudly when he doesn't find her downstairs. Quinn grabs a pillow and puts it over her head.

"Quinn, did you not hear me calling you? What's wrong?" It feels as if his voice was cutting into her brain tissue.

"Oh god, shut up. Please," She whispers loudly.

"You have a hangover? But you never drink, what happened? Where's Rachel?" Quinn breaks down and Timothy holds her. It takes about an hour for her to collect herself and tell him what happened.

After a few days pass, Quinn decides to spend the day with Sarah and Tim. They go out for a family day at the county fair. They have fun eating all sort of unhealthy fried foods while walking around and playing games to win stuffed animals for Sarah. Quinn wishes that they could do this more often, but on the way out of the fair, she sees paparazzi waiting for them to come out. It was fun while it lasted, and she's glad she took a chance so that she could spend this quality time with Sarah.

They get home around 8p.m. and Quinn showers before lounging on the couch to watch a movie with her family. Her cell phone rings around ten minutes into the movie. It's Rachel.

"Hey," Quinn answers hesitantly.

"Quinn, I got it! I didn't know who else to call first. Well, I had been thinking about you today. Anyway, I got the part!"

"Oh my God! Rachel, that's wonderful! I'm so proud of you baby-" Quinn catches herself. "I have to go."

"But Quinn,"

"Bye!" Quinn says before hanging up her phone. She tries thinking about not doing this, but her logical side isn't exactly working for her right now.

"Tim, I'm going out. I'll call you later okay?"

"Is everything okay? I heard you yelling."

"Yes, just take care of Sarah, she's really into that movie. Put her to bed right after it's done, she'll probably be sleep anyway." Quinn rushes upstairs to get changed. She grabs her purse and hurries out of there.

Quinn knocks rapidly on Rachel's room door. Rachel opens it and looks shocked to see Quinn standing there, out of breath.

"Kurt, I'll call you back." Rachel says monotonously.

The minute Rachel drops her phone, Quinn grabs her and pulls her in for a deep kiss. It is a little rough and forceful, a symptom of months of sexual frustration. They continue their activities as Quinn walks them towards the bed. She picks Rachel up and throws her carefully onto the bed. She unbuttons her own cardigan whilst kicking off her shoes.

Rachel looks up at her with dark, lusting eyes as her chest heaves up and down. Quinn licks her lips as she takes in the beautiful sight of Rachel beneath her, hair ruffled, and lips, cherry red. She crawls onto the bed and positions herself atop Rachel. She kisses her again, this time the urgency is more potent as they know where this is heading.

Quinn swiftly begins to unbutton Rachel's top and when she reaches the middle, she realizes that Rachel is not wearing a bra. She has to lift herself off Rachel to allow her to remove her yoga pants, and Quinn is flooded with arousal when she sees that Rachel isn't wearing any panties either.

She slams her body back down on top of Rachel, mashing their lips together once more. She grabs Rachel's hands and places them on her back. It takes Rachel a few seconds to figure it out, but she takes the hint and unzips Quinn's dress, as she had wanted. Quinn pulls away one final time to get rid of the rest of her garments, and then reconnects with Rachel. This time there is nothing in between them, flesh upon flesh, and Quinn has never felt anything so warm and pleasant in her entire life.

She kisses her way down Rachel's neck, to her collarbones and then to her breasts. She takes some time appreciating the soft pillowy skin there kissing each of them softly before taking a now erect peak into her mouth, sucking gently. The arching of Rachel's back along with the panting and loud moans let Quinn know how much she is enjoying this.

"Oh, Quinn, don't stop." Quinn wasn't planning to, but hearing Rachel begging her turns her on beyond words.

She forces herself to break away from Rachel's breasts, fearing that she may come too soon. She kisses her way down Rachel's vibrating abs, taking time to lick and suck at her hipbones. She positions herself between Rachel's legs, admiring the view while kissing her way up her thighs.

"Quinn…please," Rachel begs, after a few minutes of teasing.

Quinn gives in, at this moment, anything Rachel wants, she'll get. She gets down to business, dipping down to lick inside Rachel's folds to gather the wetness that she finds there. She continues her ministrations as Rachel's moans goad her on. She watches Rachel's face for any signs of discomfort, but all she sees is pure pleasure.

Quinn cannot take her eyes off Rachel's heaving chest as sweat glistens like glitter on her body. She looks as if she is glowing. Quinn continues and when she feels Rachel begin to tremble, she knows that she is close. Rachel finally lets go in a string of incomplete sentences mixed with the panting of Quinn's name.

"Oh my god, Quinn. Come up, come up here," Rachel calls her up to her with shaky words as she comes down from her orgasm.

Quinn kisses her way up to Rachel's lips and wraps an arm across her midsection. They kiss for a few minutes until Rachel turns them so that Quinn is on her back. They take turns giving each other pleasure throughout the night.

Quinn wakes up out of her sleep around 4a.m. and finds that she had fallen asleep without meaning to. She carefully pries Rachel's arm from her torso and slowly gets out of bed. She gathers her clothes and goes into the bathroom to clean up. When she returns, she sees that Rachel is awake.

"You're leaving." Rachel states.

"Yeah, I have to go, I wasn't supposed to stay. I'll call you later."

Quinn avoids looking in Rachel's direction as she puts on her shoes and walks towards the door. She goes to turn the handle, when Rachel grabs it for her, she turns around and looks at her. She can see the warning in Rachel's eyes, telling her not to continue this way. Quinn felt it as they made love, she does not want to hurt Rachel, she wants to be with her, but she needs time.

"Goodnight Quinn."

"Goodnight Rachel." Quinn leans down, pressing her lips to Rachel's once more.

As happy as she is being together with Rachel, she cannot shake the feeling of impending doom that has settled somewhere in her chest. She breaks down in the elevator when the feeling does not subside.

Quinn decides to keep her word and give Rachel a call. She cannot help but feel extremely nervous even though she has called Rachel thousands of times in the past.

"Hey, I'm glad you called." Rachel answers.

"H-yeah, I uh, told you that I would, so…"

"Last night was amazing." Rachel purrs.

"It was." Quinn says flatly. She hears Rachel sigh.

"What now? I thought that, last night meant that we were over this Quinn."

"Last night meant a lot to me, but I never said that I would change my mind."

"Don't I get a say in this? You know, you can be _so_ selfish sometimes."

"You think that I'm being selfish? You have no idea how hard this is for me. If we move too fast, things could go bad. I'd rather take some time to figure out what we really want."

"We could make it work, I already know that I want this."

"Right, don't be so sure about it. We get caught out once, and they'll do an entire spread on how the new star of that kids show homewrecked us. We'll both be outed. I'll be the cheating bitch who broke Tim's heart. He'll look like a victim and they will eat us alive." Quinn knows that this is the only way to get Rachel to see just how dangerous this is.

"Are you ready to say goodbye to your show before you even get your foot in the door? Ready for them to paint you as a mistress?" Quinn doesn't get an answer, she hopes she is getting through to Rachel.

She hears tapping on the line.

"Quinn, I know that this is important, but can you hold on for one second? Kurt's on the other line, he probably thinks something happened to me, I haven't talked to him since last night."

"Okay, but I want you to think about what I've just said." Rachel clicks over. A few minutes pass, and then Quinn hears a click.

"Kurt just told me that he is coming out to L.A. next month, and he is bringing Finn with him. I told him that I'll probably be working then, but I haven't seen Kurt in so long, and Finn even longer. I cannot wait until we all meet up again, it'll be like old times Quinn."

"Sorry Rachel, but I'd rather not."

"What, I thought maybe we could all do something together."

"I cannot just sit there and pretend that I'm still not hurt over you choosing him over me."

"Quinn, what do you mean?" Quinn cannot believe Rachel is playing dumb about this.

"I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't even listen back then. It seems stupid now to even bring it up."

"Is that the reason for this whole, 'we can't be together' thing?"

"No, I already told you my reasons, but you still don't get it."

"You're just being so stubborn and pessimistic about everything, and I don't know why. When we're together, your body tells me that you want to be together, but then you say all of these things. You're putting up walls because you are so afraid of what other people are going to say about you."

"Look Rachel, it's not just what they will say, it's what they'll do."

"But you don't even want to be seen with me in private with our old friends. What's your excuse for that?"

"I don't understand why it's so important that you need me to see Finn again. I told you my reason."

"Why can't you get over whatever your problem is? It's obviously in the past, so why not leave it there."

"I don't have to get over anything. Why don't you just go and have fun with your best friend and your ex-boyfr- oh, I'm sorry, _our_ ex-boyfriend. When they get here, make sure to take them to Ca Del Sole, they make an amazing pasta." Quinn hangs up in her face.

Quinn knows that she was being incredibly harsh. She just couldn't handle Rachel telling her to get over something that she was the cause of. She cannot believe that Rachel thought that she would even want to _see_ Finn again, let alone go out on the town with them. As much as she would like to, she just cannot forget about the past.


	15. Chapter 15

Rachel's p.o.v.

She cannot believe Quinn, getting angry at her about things in the past that will never change. She wants to let it all go and move forward and she knows Quinn wants that too, but something is keeping her from doing that. She is so concerned that the media will destroy everything between them, that she's doing it herself. It has been a few days, so Rachel calls Quinn and asks if she could come over to talk things over.

Quinn invites her into the living room and they take seats across from each other, much like the last time they talked in here. Things start off okay, but then Quinn begins putting up walls and making excuses again. Rachel is almost at the end of her rope.

"You've had it so easy in New York, you should've stayed put. You said you could date whomever you wanted, all I'm saying is, you're still free. You don't owe me anything and I don't want to hold you back. I bet when Finn comes, you'll reconnect, and it'll be like before. You'll choose him, again."

"What? I never chose...Quinn, I haven't even seen Finn since we broke up, plus he's married now. He has nothing to do with us now." She says to ensure Quinn, even though she's being ridiculous.

"Really? Well, _I'm_ still married and that didn't stop you." Quinn is being so irrational she could slap her. She stands up and contemplates just storming right out of the house.

"How dare you! How can you even say that? You came to me! Now, I know that I made a mistake calling you, but you came knocking at my door!" Rachel tries to calm herself by breathing deeply through her nose. It isn't working.

"You have no idea how important you are and have been in my life, and until you get that through your thick skull, I guess you'll get what you've wanted." Rachel says angrily.

Quinn huffs. Rachel goes into the foyer, but stops and turns around.

"I hope you know that I'm walking away now of my own accord. It has nothing to do with your frivolous excuses, Quinn." She shakes her head in disappointment before walking out the door, and away completely.

"Hey, five more minutes until dance practice, you better warm up before going," says Eli, the choreographer for her show.

"Okay, I'll be there." Rachel says. She makes it a point to be on time for every practice and rehearsal.

It has been about two months since she started work, about as long since she and Quinn have talked. Rachel works from early in the morning to late at night on the show. She hardly gets any time to herself. She is grateful to have something to take her mind off of Quinn. During her downtime though, she finds her thoughts wondering back to a certain blonde woman.

After she finishes at dance practice, she goes back to her suite to shower. She calls Tim to see if Quinn is gone so that she could go over Quinn's house to visit Sarah. This the third time she's visited Sarah, she wishes she could come more often.

"Hey, how have you been, you sounded tired on the phone." Tim asks her after letting her into the house.

"I've just been working really hard on the show. I got off a little earlier today, and I've been wanting to see Sarah for weeks."

"Yeah, she's in the living room. I'll be in the study if you need anything."

"Thanks, Tim." Rachel takes his hand and squeezes it. He nods and walks towards the study.

"Is that my Little Angel Princess?"

"Rachel!" Sarah jumps up and runs over to her. Rachel feels like crying as she scoops the little girl up, giving her a big long hug. Out of everything that has happened, she misses Sarah the most. She loves this little girl as if she were her own.

She knows that Quinn would not mind her visiting Sarah. She just cannot bear seeing Quinn, so she calls to check before stopping by. This whole situation could be avoided if Rachel had still lived here. She thinks back to the night she left. Maybe if she stopped storming out all of the time, things would be different. However, she cannot change what has happened, Quinn wanted some time, and she is giving it to her.

"Hey look what I got you Sarah, it's a new dolly. Do you like it?" Sarah nods. Rachel watches her as she rips open the packaging to get to the doll.

"It looks like mommy." Sarah says smiling. Rachel takes a better look at the doll, and it does actually look a lot like Quinn. She must have picked one that resembles Quinn unconsciously.

"Yes it does baby." Rachel says trying to hold back tears. She promised herself that she wouldn't cry in front of Sarah.

She manages to keep it together and play with Sarah for a while until it was time for her to go to bed. After she helps Tim put Sarah to bed, he walks with her downstairs.

"So, um, where is she?" Rachel asks.

"She's with some of her girls, saying her goodbyes before her trip." Rachel knew that Quinn would be leaving for Thailand soon, but has no clue exactly when.

"When's she leaving?" she asks.

"In two days. Tonight is the first time she's left home for more than a few hours. I know she's pushed you away, but I know that she cares for you deeply. I just want you to know that you're doing the right thing, and I really wish that Quinn would just wake up already."

"There's no talking to her, I don't know why she won't let herself be happy. I know that I want to be with her and treat her the way she deserves to be treated. She tried to tell me to move on, but I _can't_. You just can't stop loving someone." Rachel bursts into tears and Tim grabs her into a big hug.

"I know you can't, and as much as she tries, she can't either. She'll come around. I have been trying to get through to her, but she won't let go of the stupid things Ashley said." Rachel pulls back and looks at Tim.

"Ashley, her assistant, she's the one that told Quinn all of that stuff? I cannot believe this. It's people like her, that keep people like us hidden away. I know that your career is important to you, but isn't it hard being closeted?"

"It is unbelievably hard in some ways, but in other ways, much easier. You see, most of my friends and important people in my life know the truth, the façade is for my public image. This is Hollywood, everything is all smoke and mirrors here."

Rachel understands it, but she doesn't have to agree with it. She believes that people shouldn't judge people based on who they are attracted to, or who they fall in love with. She also knows that the company she now works for is run by people who are against her lifestyle, and if she were to cause a stir by being involved in a same sex affair, her job would be jeopardized. She can now see where Quinn had been coming from, but she feels she could have gone about it in a different way.

She sits in her car waiting outside of Quinn's house, hoping to catch her before she leaves. She tries to call Tim, but he doesn't pick up. After the third call, he finally picks up.

"Hey, Tim, I'm here at the house and no one is answering the buzzer. I wanted to see Quinn off."

"What? Oh dear, Rachel, why didn't you tell me earlier? We are at my mother's, she already left in a cab to LAX. Um, if you hurry maybe you can make it there in time." Tim says frantically. Rachel is so scared she can hear her heartbeat in her ears. She writes down the flight number and heads towards the airport.

She parks her car in the wrong area, but she doesn't care. She'll deal with the ticket later. She runs into the International terminal before she is told to slow down by security. She walks swiftly over to the departures board and finds the flight. She rushes over to the escalator to get to the departure level.

Rachel can feel herself shaking, she has to make it to Quinn before she leaves. When she finally gets to the top, she is appalled by the lines for the security checkpoint. She feels like crying. After about thirty minutes in line, it is finally her turn. They make her empty her pockets and remove her shoes before frisking her.

"This is very unnecessary." She mumbles.

She almost falls, fumbling to get her shoes back on and then makes her way to the gate where Quinn will be. She runs because apparently Quinn's gate is the last one down this way. Her heart is beating even faster as she approaches the gate. She is out of breath as she looks around, finding the wait area empty.

"E-excuse me miss. Is this the gate for the flight to Bangkok?" Rachel asks, between breaths.

"Yes it is. The passengers have already boarded." Rachel cannot believe it, she is too late.

"B-but I need to see someone. Can I buy a ticket?" The woman checks her computer.

"Sorry, but the flight is completely booked. Also you would need your passport as well."

Rachel does cry now, she doesn't even have her purse, let alone her passport. She missed Quinn. She wishes that she had called before going to the house. She had been so busy with work, she barely remembered that Quinn was leaving today. And now, it is too late, she is gone. She will be gone for over a month and Rachel didn't even get a chance to wish her luck and say goodbye.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I hope you all are enjoying this so far. There are only a few more chapters to go. I'm posting this one early, so that I can enjoy my weekend.

Quinn's p.o.v.

Quinn takes a car to the airport to leave for Thailand. She had already said her goodbyes to Sarah and Tim at his mother's house. When she gets through security, she meets up with Lee Thomson, who is at the gate about to board as well.

"Hey Quinn, you ready for this trip?"

"I think so, these last two months have been pretty rough."

"Cheer up, I can promise you Thailand is going to clear your mind."

"I really hope you're right. Where's Sam?" She asks as they walk through the gateway.

"He already left, it's only a few of us on this flight."

As she boards the flight, she sees Karen already on the plane.

"Hey Karen," Quinn had not really wanted to say hello to her, she just didn't want to seem like a bitch again.

"Hi Quinn, nice to see you." Quinn can tell that Karen is surprised, by her tone. She continues on to her seat and puts on her headphones to drown out any further disruptions.

They touch down in Bangkok after a 17-hour flight. Quinn got plenty of sleep on the flight, but she still feels extremely jetlagged. Her hair is disheveled, so she puts on her fedora and exits the plane. She cannot wait to get to her room, but Lee told her that she would be meeting with her assistant for the trip first.

A short, brunette woman, with a haircut much like Rachel's in high school, approaches her. She looks nothing like Rachel, but she is similar in build. Quinn does find this woman to be very beautiful, she has smooth mocha colored skin with slanted eyes, pouty lips and a small button nose.

"Hello, Quinn Fabray, I presume." She extends her hand and Quinn shakes it.

"Hello, yes I am Quinn. And you are…"

"Cathy Gason. I will be your assistant on this trip. Let me take your bag. Here is a phone to call me for anything, and your room keys. You'll be staying at the Summer Spring Hotel, I have a cab waiting for us so that you can get some rest." Quinn already likes her, she is very straightforward.

Upon exit from the airport, Quinn finds herself having a sensory overload. From the beautiful scenery to the sweet smell of flowers to the pungent aroma of the fish markets nearby. Everything is so new and different. Quinn is going to have to sneak away with Cathy to explore Bangkok as soon as she can.

Her hotel room is beautiful, decorated with teakwood and elegant Thai silk mixed in with modern décor. She showers before she calls Timothy and talks to Sarah. She finds out through Tim that Rachel tried to see her before she left. And that she has continued to visit Sarah since she's been gone. She begins to cry after hanging up when she realizes just how far she is from them all. She shakes herself out of it before she begins to have a panic attack.

The next day, she calls up Cathy to ask her to take her around the city since she has one more day before her filming starts. They first visit a marketplace, a busy atmosphere bustling with locals as well as tourists. The mix of different cultures is a pleasant surprise for Quinn.

"This is my favorite vendor on this end, I have coming here for years." Cathy says as she leads her up to the front of the small eatery. They order some Thai fried chicken and pork satay with a spicy peanut sauce.

"This is so delicious, maybe it's because I haven't had meat in a while." Quinn laughs.

Cathy begins to talk to the chef in Thai and she makes a gesture at Quinn.

"I just asked them to show you how to make the chicken." Cathy states, Quinn is beyond words.

"Really? Thank you, I would love to."

The woman allows Quinn to come into the back and proceeds to teach her how to cook a few items off of the menu.

After that amazing experience, Cathy takes her to the Indian Market. It is a maze of color, fabrics and spices right in the middle of Bangkok. Then she visits the solid Golden Buddha at Wat Trimitr, Cathy tells her a fascinating story about how it was hidden beneath stucco for decades. They go to Taling Pling, a low-key Thai restaurant, Cathy tells her the locals outnumber the visitors here. She eats a lot of spicy Thai cuisine and her previously vegan diet is thrown out of the window.

Filming starts in Chanthaburi, the most beautiful place. There is a lot of lush greenery and scenic waterfalls. Quinn cannot believe how wonderful this place is. Things go somewhat smoothly as they begin shooting scenes, despite the extremely humid weather.

As time goes on, the heat really gets to Quinn. She feels herself becoming a little frustrated with some of the antics of the people on set. Sam must have sensed her impending explosion.

"Quinn, how you doing there sweetheart?" Sam asks.

"I-I'm fine. I just think that we should be concentrating on the scene instead of pulling stupid pranks on each other." Quinn is finds herself to be right on the edge of a breakdown.

After the first day of filming is done, Quinn asks Cathy to take her somewhere to clear her head. They go to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception,and Cathy reminds her to remove her shoes. They go inside and Cathy shows her a prayer to calm herself. She finds the prayer to be quite effective as she continues the practice the next day on set.

Soon, everyone starts to complement Quinn on the fact that she seems much happier and more relaxed now that they are filming in Thailand. Quinn knows that the prayer is working. It does help keep her from seeing red when someone does something that would normally piss her off. She feels grateful to Cathy for helping her.

It has been four weeks and she misses Sarah and Rachel dearly. She could at least video chat with Sarah. Rachel is a different story, she has so much to say but right now, she doesn't want to tell Rachel about her feelings over a chat. During one video chat, Tim tells her Rachel will be listening in. She couldn't hold in her jealousy and probably messed things up even more. She makes a mental promise to Rachel to make it up to her when she gets home.

This trip to Thailand has caused Quinn to reevaluate her priorities and realize just how much she missed being with Rachel. She sometimes cries herself to sleep at night just thinking about her, and she forces herself not call her. She wants to tell her everything face to face.

Quinn spent a lot of time thinking about all of the ways Rachel has been there for her, showing her how much she wants to be there. Just remembering how good Rachel has been to Sarah, dissolves any leftover hesitation she had about things working out between them. She knows that being in a relationship requires compromise, so she calls up Tim.

"Hey, how's it going? Is the weather permitting?" He asks.

"Things are good, and yeah it's been a little rainy, some days we had to postpone filming. Um, but that's not why I called you."

"Oh. What's up?"

"Well, I've been thinking a lot, about Rachel. I want to be with her, I want her to stay in my and Sarah's lives. So I need you to do something for me."

"Anything, what do you need?"

"I need you to go downtown and file for a divorce." Quinn takes a deep breath as she waits for Tim's response.

"Sure, okay. Wow, so you _are_ moving forward. I'm really proud of you sweetheart. This is the first step, and I won't let you down. I'll go down there tomorrow, but is this topic off limits in regards to Rachel or what?"

"My God, do not tell her! Tim, things are sensitive right now, I need to be the one that tells her these things in person. Obviously, I cannot do that right now, so I would appreciate if you kept your mouth shut to Rachel."

"You're right, I really want you two to work things out and just be happy together. Maybe when you get back, we could get together, you and Rachel, and me and _Jason_."

"Who's Jason?" Quinn inquires delightfully.

"It's pretty new, we've been seeing each other for a few weeks. I really like him, he's a special effects makeup artist and we were friends for a while before going there. I feel really good about this."

"Seriously, you must really like him since this is the first time you've wanted me to meet one of your boyfriends."

"I know, it's weird isn't it?" They share a laugh, then the conversation changes to Sarah and how much Quinn misses her.

A few days later, Quinn sits in her room after filming is done for the day because of rain. She goes through some of her pictures to organize them and send some to Tim. She's startled by a knock on the door.

"Hey Quinn, I'm sorry for dropping by. I just wanted to talk to you." Karen says as she takes a step forward. Quinn allows her in, wondering what she wants.

"So, what can I do for you?" Quinn asks hesitantly.

"You don't have to be shy with me Quinn."

"What would I have to be shy about?" Quinn wonders what is up with Karen, who is looking at her funny.

"I know why you've been much happier lately." Quinn is confused, what could she be talking about?

"Excuse me?"

"I was online, and I saw it. You're getting a divorce, and it's because I told you that I liked you isn't it?" Karen looks extremely wide-eyed and hopeful for an imbecile that jumps to conclusions. Quinn tries the calming prayers, but they are not working.

"Are you _fucking_ kidding me? First of all, how dare you bring up something about my personal life that you read in some trashy tabloid! Secondly, what makes you think that it has anything to do with you! We haven't had a decent conversation since that day in your trailer, and you think that I would divorce my husband, for _you_." Quinn is so agitated that she begins to laugh.

Karen looks as if she is about to be sick. Quinn doesn't feel bad this time though, she brought this onto herself. Having the audacity to bring up something so personal, and then being as selfish as to thinking it had anything to do with her.

"I-I'm sorry, I just thought…" Karen sniffles.

"I truly doubt that you thought anything at all before coming here. Can you go? I was in the middle of something."

Karen deflates and turns around to leave, but something stops her.

"I really am sorry. I don't know what I was thinking, maybe I wasn't. I know we never talk, and I may have looked you up, but my feelings for you are real though." Karen nods as if she were trying to convince herself that it was true.

"I highly doubt that's true. You may have looked me up, found some information on me, but you don't know me. I think you are in love with some version of me that you made up in your head, not the real me. I don't know what else to tell you, so…"

"It's okay, you're right, I shouldn't have come here. Again, I am sorry for invading your privacy like this. I hope you don't hate me, maybe one day we could be sort of friends?"

"Look, I don't hate you, but you were out of line. It may be a while before I could ever trust you enough to be friends with you. That isn't anything against you personally, I just takes some time for me to let people in."

"I get it. I'm going to go now. Goodbye." Karen says before finally leaving.

Quinn feels a bit unsettled now. If Karen could easily find out about the divorce out here, then Rachel probably knows as well. She feels a little relief knowing that she will not be bothered by paparazzi for a while here in Thailand. The minute she gets home though, they are going to swarm after her.

She calls Ashley to let her know what is happening. Ashley gets together an article that states that the divorce was mutual, and that the relationship had run its course.

"I think I need to tell you this, um, Rachel made her own little article in Gossip Mag last week. Here I'll send you the link. I know you guys aren't together yet, but I thought you should know. " Ashley sends it and Quinn opens the link and reads the article.

_'It seems BFF to Quinn Fabray turned Teen Nick popstar Rachel Berry was seen hanging out with a tall, older looking gentleman last Friday night. The ex-Broadway starlet, known best for her critically acclaimed vocal abilities, dined, drank, and danced the night away with the unknown man along with a friend in Santa Monica. Sources say that he is an ex-boyfriend. Could they be rekindling their past romance? We can definitely see sparks flying in this picture of them hugging outside of a hotel in Hollywood.' _

Quinn shuts down the page, she cannot bear to read anymore of it. Rachel did tell her about going out with Finn as well as Kurt, but seeing a picture of her hugging him, feels like a knife in her heart. She cries because she knows that this is her own doing. She was the one that told Rachel that she was free to do whatever she wanted, she basically pushed her right into Finn's clumsy arms.

She dries her eyes because she knows that when she gets back, she will make her feelings known to Rachel. Hopefully, Rachel will still want to take things further. According to Tim, she still seems open to it, and that is enough for Quinn.

Towards the end of filming, in the beginning of November, she goes shopping in Siam Square with Cathy to buy a few things for everyone back home. She first visits MBK and feels a little jostled after walking through the dense crowds. They go into Siam Paragon next, which is an upscale shopping mall that makes Quinn a little more comfortable. She avoids most of the big name designers and finds a nice toy shop, and picked out a few toys for Sarah. After finding a few more gifts for Tim and his mother, Quinn begins to head out.

As they make their way out, something shiny in the window of a shop catches her eye. She looks inside and sees it is a jewelry shop. She has Cathy ask the jewelry shop owner about the shiny, diamond encrusted gold star necklace in the window. She smiles and cannot keep her eyes off of it when he brings it out to show her. She hears Cathy gasp after she asks how much it costs.

"He says three million baht Miss, are you sure you still want it?" Cathy asks.

"Yes, I don't care how much it is, it's going to be perfect for her. Tell him I'll take it." Quinn will spare no expense on a nice gift for Rachel.

The entire cast and crew gather inside of a bar called Distil for the wrap party of the movie. Quinn sits with some of the other actors outside, taking shots of sake whilst taking in the view of the sprawling metropolis. She has fun laughing and joking around with everyone, including Karen. As much as Quinn has enjoyed this experience, she is glad that she will be going home soon. She cannot wait to see Sarah, Rachel and Tim again.

Quinn has all of her bags packed as she gets ready to go. There is a knock at her door. This time, it is Cathy, whom she was expecting. She called her over to say her goodbyes before leaving.

"Goodbye Cathy, I'm really going to miss you. You made this experience amazing. Thank you so much, you are a truly beautiful person." Quinn pulls her into a hug.

"Oh Quinn, you are beautiful as well. I'm going to miss you too. You are one of the best people I have ever worked for, it has been an honor." Cathy says wiping tears away.

Quinn pulls her into another hug, squeezing her tight. They promise to keep in touch, and Quinn sincerely hopes that they do.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. I see some of you are afraid of a re-emergence of Finchel. LOL.

* * *

Rachel's p.o.v.

It is her first day off and she gets to go out and have some fun. Work has kept Rachel's mind off missing Quinn. She has spent countless hours of performing musical numbers over again, sometimes even 15 times. This is a dream come true for Rachel because she lives to perform. But right now, all she wants to do is let her hair down.

She calls up Kurt so that he and Finn can maybe go out with her tonight. They have been in L.A. for two weeks and Rachel hasn't had any time off to see them properly. Kurt says they will be by her suite in an hour so that they can spend the day together. Despite all of the touristy things he and Finn have been doing, he wants to know where the good places are to shop and eat. Rachel says that would be cool so that they actually do some catching up.

She still hasn't told Kurt anything about her and Quinn. Since she doesn't want to tell any of Quinn's business, she'll just tell him her side. She really hopes that Finn doesn't say anything, because she would like to stay friends with him. It took a lot for her to get over him back in college, but when she did, it felt like coming out of a cloud to see clearly for first time in her life and she never looked back. He has moved on as well, but he has never been one to deal well with surprises.

They get there at about one and Rachel is dressed in a nice sleeveless blouse with skinny jeans paired with her new Gucci wedges. They were a treat for her for working so hard. She greets them both with a hug and she doesn't miss the once over that Finn gives her.

"Wow, you look gorgeous Rachel, where did you find those wedges? They are to die for." Kurt asks.

"Thank you, I've been doing a little shopping on Rodeo lately."

"Oh, we are definitely going there first. I'd wanted to go when we first arrived, but somebody didn't want to come with." Kurt says, looking pointedly at Finn.

Rachel drags Kurt from boutique to boutique, picking out a few items for him and even managing to get Finn to try on a few things as well. By the time they go to get coffee, the trunk is packed with designer shopping bags.

"So, where to next? I say, maybe something fun and Finn friendly, like, bowling?" Finn perks up hearing that and Rachel nods along even if she isn't a really good bowler.

They head to the nearest Lucky Strike after searching for one on Rachel's phone. After they go inside, they get their bowling shoes and Kurt leads them to their lane. Finn walks beside Rachel.

"Hey Rachel, do you remember when I took you bowling that time?" Finn says laughing. "And you didn't even know how to hold the ball. So funny." He continues laughing.

Rachel does remember that 'date', but her memory of it is far from funny. She decides not to dwell on it and try to enjoy herself today.

Somehow, during the first round, Rachel ended up with a small lead and her competitive nature really started to kick in. She found herself cheering on Kurt and playfully jeering Finn. She doesn't know what came over her, maybe it was the coffee, but she just felt like she really needed to win.

"This is it, the last set and the score is 145 Rachel, 150 Finn, and 131 myself. Rachel, you're last. This is it." Kurt announces while crossing his fingers.

Rachel swallows nervously as she gets up to bowl. She thinks about all of the stress she has been having lately and imagines it inside the bowling ball. Rachel bowls a strike and ends up winning. Finn looks on surprised, as Kurt picks her up and spins her around.

"Good job Rachel! I cannot believe you just wiped the floor with the both of us." Kurt says.

"Yeah, um, I can't say I'm surprised. You're really good at everything you do." Finn tells her after giving her a high five.

"Well thank you Finn, you weren't too bad, you only lost by 5 points. So, what do you guys want to do next?"

Finn shrugs and Kurt looks as if he were pondering over a hard question.

"How about, an early dinner and then we can start drinking sooner rather than later?" Kurt asks.

"Yeah that sounds good." Finn says.

"Well let's go." Rachel grabs her purse and they make their way out of the bowling alley

They go to BOA in Santa Monica for dinner and are seated quickly since they are a bit early for dinner. They order their drinks and appetizers, they talk while they wait.

"Guys, I've seen a lot of bars around but I haven't been to any yet, maybe we can check out a few after we eat?" Rachel asks.

"That sounds cool." Finn says, nodding.

"Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that a single Rachel berry hasn't hit up any bars in L.A. Something's wrong with this picture." Kurt looks at her curiously.

"Kurt, I-I've been busy lately." Rachel says, beginning to get nervous. She is grateful that the waitress brought their drinks just now.

"Look, I know you've been working a lot, but that explains these last two months. What _else_ were you doing before then? Or maybe I should say who." There is an awkward pause as Kurt and Finn look at Rachel with squinty suspicious expressions on their faces.

Kurt's expression changes when he sees Rachel nervously take a sip from her drink while avoiding eye contact.

"Oh, my, god. You are seeing someone, but you haven't told me about it. I cannot believe you would have a secret romance without telling _me_, your best friend." Rachel can feel her face becoming warm.

"Is it someone famous?" He asks.

Rachel takes another sip of her drink.

"So it's going to be one of those games. Okay. You take a sip when I'm right and, do nothing when I'm wrong, okay?" Kurt asks. Rachel nods in agreement.

"Let's get to the bottom of why this person is a secret. Do I know him, or _her_?" Rachel takes a drink. She doesn't miss Finn's confused frown when Kurt alludes to her dating women.

"Okay, we don't know many people out here. Could this person also be someone I know from tv or the movies?" Rachel hesitates, and then she takes a drink. She is going to drag this out as long as possible.

"Ooh, this is hard. Let me think. I can't think of anyone specific, so I'll ask some questions about this mystery person. Okay, are they a male?" Rachel raises her eyebrows at that question, but she smiles and folds her hands on the table in front of her. Finn raises his eyebrows with a poorly hidden smirk on his face.

"Oh, alright, good, I can do this. I can do this. Is she a secret because no one can know you two are going out?" He looks at Rachel with an almost pained expression. She takes a sip.

"Wow, okay. Is it because she's closeted or possibly married?" Rachel takes a sip and Kurt loses it.

"Oh my goodness, Rachel, no more games! What is wrong with you? Tell me which one it is. Cause if it is the second one, I will definitely be taking you back to New York with me when we leave." This time Finn nervously sips his drink, avoiding eye contact.

"Kurt, look, you don't understand okay, it's a little bit of both. However, we were never together, because she is as stubborn as a mule and we just cannot see eye to eye."

"What's there to argue about? She's mar-ried Rachel! Have you slept with her?"

Finn eyes suddenly snap up to her. She opens her mouth, but the only thing that comes out is a frustrated breath.

"Look, it's complicated okay. I-I don't want to talk about it right now, so let's just drop it for now, please?" Rachel pleads with him. Kurt puts up both of his hands in surrender.

"But we are going to talk some more before I leave in a few days." He warns.

"Okay, now let's enjoy our meal and the rest of the night without any more drama. Deal?" Rachel asks.

"Deal." They both shake hands.

After they finish their meals, they walk down the street to a bar that looks pretty alive. Rachel and Finn grab a table while Kurt goes to order them a few beers.

"So, you're into girls now?" Finn asks her out of nowhere.

"Um, yes Finn, I have never been one to exclude anyone based on gender only. Is that a problem?" She wonders where he is going with this.

"Oh no, I was just surprised is all. But then again, not really because back in high school, you used to have this weird obsession with Quinn Fabray. Do you remember her? Kurt says she's an actress too now."

Rachel opens her mouth a few times before actually speaking.

"Y-yeah uh, I do remember her. We kept in touch in college...and then a little more after that."

"Oh, really? That's good, how is she? Did she have any more kids?"

"Um, she's doing good. She does have a daughter, Sarah, she's two." Rachel drifts off into her own world before Kurt appears from the crowd with drinks in hand. He hands Finn a beer and scoots one to Rachel before sitting down next to her.

"Hey, what's wrong? Is it about earlier? Sorry for putting you on the spot like that. You just, never told me, and I felt betrayed momentarily." Kurt asks her, looking worried.

"No, it's okay Kurt. You _are_ my best friend and I shouldn't keep secrets from you. I know that you have my best interests in mind."

"You're right about that. I love you Rachel, I don't want to see you hurt."

"I love you too Kurt. It's okay, you don't have anything to worry about." Rachel squeezes Kurt's hand as they give each other a smile.

"Aww, you guys are so cute, you're borderline disgusting, man." Finn says playfully.

"Oh shut up, Finn. Rachel should see you with your army bros. You wanna see disgusting close friendships? They are the guys that define the term." Kurt retorts.

"Yeah right, Rachel don't believe him. Being out there with those guys for so long, we became like a family. So, whatever." Rachel smiles as she looks between the two as they bicker like when they were back in high school.

After a few drinks, they find their way to the beach to take a walk. For October, the weather in L.A. is still quite warm. They walk along the shoreline barefoot while Finn tells them about his family in Korea.

"Playing the drums in the Army band took us around the local bars and dives to play shows. She was a waitress at this place called Palm Tree and they were having an open mic night. She got up there and she sang this really beautiful song that took my breath away." He smiles as he continues on.

He tells them about how her family told him that he had to marry her since he got her pregnant. He says he would have done it anyway because he loves her so much. He then grows somber when he talks about how he had gotten kicked out of the barracks and sent to New York.

"And to make it worse, when I tried to get Kim and the baby over here, we had some trouble at the embassy. They say they need more paperwork and then it will take a while to process everything. I just miss them so much, you know."

Rachel feels her heart breaking for Finn. She can certainly sympathize with how he is feeling. It has been hard with Quinn all the way in Thailand and rarely getting to see baby Sarah.

She says her goodbyes to Kurt and Finn in front of her hotel, giving them both big hugs, promising Kurt to talk to him later. She checks the clock when she gets inside and it is five past midnight. It is a little late, but she decides to call Timothy anyway.

"Hey Rachel." Tim answers.

"Hi Tim, I know Sarah's probably in bed, but have you talked to Quinn lately?"

"Yeah, Sarah's actually wide awake right now because we're about to get on video chat with her mommy in a minute or so."

"Oh, really, can you tell her that I, I miss her, for me."

"Yes, I can do you one better and have you stay on the line while she's on, okay."

"Oh no, that's okay, I-I don't think she'll want me listening in on her private moments with Sarah."

"Nonsense Rachel, you're staying on. Do not hang up. I'll tell her that you're on the phone. It'll be fine."

Rachel chews her bottom lip as she waits for him to start the chat. She feels worried that Quinn wouldn't want to talk to her.

"Hey Rachel, you still there?" He asks.

"Yeah," She answers.

"Quinn's on now and I've already texted her that you are listening in." She can faintly hear Quinn begin to talk, but she cannot make out what she says.

"She's talking to Sarah now." Tim says.

Rachel can hear Quinn a little clearer, but her voice sounds watery. Rachel starts to cry when she realizes the pain Quinn must be feeling, being away from Sarah for so long. She grabs a tissue to wipe her tears as she sniffles loudly.

"Rachel did you hear that? Quinn says she misses you." Rachel breaks down again, feeling overwhelmed by her feelings for Quinn. She always gets a little emotional when she drinks.

"T-tell her that I miss her too." She tells Tim. She hears him repeat what she said followed by him wishing that they could work things out.

Quinn says something else that she cannot make out yet again.

"Okay, Rachel. Quinn asked what you've been up to lately and how work is going."

"Tell her work is fine and that today was my first day off and I spent it with Kurt and Finn." She hears him repeat it and then Quinn says something that Tim gets angry at her about because he tells her to stop sabotaging herself and be happy. Rachel knew that this wasn't a good idea.

"Hey, uh Tim? I think I'm gonna go. This wasn't a good idea, I, yeah, tell her I said bye." She hangs up the phone and bursts into tears again.

A few days later, she calls Kurt before going into work. She asks him to come have lunch with her this afternoon, with explicit directions not to bring Finn along.

They meet at Café Muse around 2p.m., because Rachel has a late lunch today.

"Hey," Rachel greets him. Kurt pulls her into a brief hug and gives her a peck on the cheek.

"Hello pretty lady. How is work?" He asks as he joins her at her table. She already ordered her favorite sandwich for the both of them to save time.

"It's good. The hours are long, but it is so fun Kurt. I wish that you guys could make it to the premiere."

"Oh, me too, but I will definitely be watching from home."

"I'm really excited about it, but let's get to why I asked you to meet me here. I don't have much time."

"What is it? You look serious."

"It's about last week, when we talked about, my secret person."

"Oh dear lord. You brought me to a public place to drop the bomb. Rachel, how could you?"

"Shh, keep your voice down. I love this place and it's the only break I have before you guys leave."

"Sorry, I'll be good. Okay, so spill." He demands. Rachel looks around before whispering.

"Alright, my secret person is someone that I've worked for recently, and you know who she is. She is married, but, that's where things get complicated." He squints his eyes, probably trying to think of who it could be.

"Alright enough, who is this mystery woman?"

"It's...Quinn." His jaw drops.

"High school, I got into Yale, Quinn? Wow, never in a million years would I have guessed her. I mean I knew she had made it out here, but this is so fantastical. So how'd you two meet again?"

"Long story short, to make some extra money, I started babysitting for high profile clients and somehow fate brought me to Quinn's doorstep. I actually lived in her house for over four months. Then things became complicated..." She goes on and tells him the rest of the story in as little graphic detail as possible.

"Wow, so now she's all the way in Thailand and you guys aren't even together? This really is complicated, and why would she think you would ever get back with Finn?" Rachel shrugs.

"From what I understand, she must have had feelings for me back when I was trying to marry him."

"Way back in high school?"

"I mean, she almost got killed trying to come to the stupid wedding just for me. A small part of me still feels like it was somehow my fault. Just thinking back on how blind I had been about so many things in my life, I could have been suppressing my own feelings for her back then. She has always meant so much to me. That's why when she gets back I'm not gonna let her go without a fight."

"That's very brave, but what if she says the same things and nothing's changed?"

"I don't know, I guess I'll have to make a decision based on what's said in that moment." Rachel hopes for the best, but if things are the same as before, she may have to move on. It is a sad thought, and she would much rather focus on what good can come from this time apart.

"I can only wish you luck. I hope you aren't putting yourself out there to get hurt. The Rachel Berry from New York would never chase after a woman."

"Well, the Rachel Berry from New York never loved any of those women."

"Good point, you were a bit of a player. And Quinn Fabray is the one that has tamed you, I can't say I'm surprised. You two were so hung up on each other in high school."

"I was so not a player, Kurt. And why does everyone keep saying that about me and Quinn? First Finn, now you, we're we _that_ focused on each other back then?"

"Oh honey, almost everyone in Glee club talked about it whenever you two were gone." He says with a smirk.

Two weeks later, Rachel wakes up to her ringing cell phone, it is almost 5a.m.

"Hello?" She answers groggily. She had been at work until almost midnight. Whoever it is better have a good excuse for calling her this early.

"Rachel, hi, I'm sorry for waking you, but I wanted to let you know that Quinn is getting in this morning. Do you want to come with us to the airport?" Tim asks.

"Yes, okay. I'm, I'll be ready. What time does she arrive?"

"Around seven, I think. Do you want to meet us at the house?"

"Sure I'll be there."

"Good, I'm so excited for you two."

"Tim, you're acting like this is our wedding day or something."

"Oh my God, can it be?"

"What? No, we aren't even a couple. It's true that I have missed her like crazy, but there is a lot that we need to discuss."

"I know, I know. But I know you'll work things out, I can feel it."

"Whatever." Rachel tells him, as she begins to feel butterflies in her stomach. Tim's enthusiasm has triggered her own excitement about seeing Quinn again after so long. She has to admit that she can feel that something is going to change for the better soon.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: So sorry for the wait. Bad breakup. 'Nuff said. It's going to be from both of their point of views, now that they are on the same page.

* * *

On the plane ride home, Quinn cannot shake the giddy feeling she has as she reaches LAX. She knows it is because Tim is going to be there with Sarah to pick her up.

When she sees Tim standing there with Sarah and waving, she bursts into happy tears. She runs up to them and hugs them close while peppering kisses all over Sarah's face. Tim clears his throat to try and get her attention so she looks up at him. He nods his head over to the right and Quinn looks over and feels her heart drop.

Rachel was there, standing in the doorway of the limo. Quinn drops her bag and runs over to her. She grabs her roughly and squeezes her into tight hug. She can feel herself shaking with the sobs that were coming from them both. She pulls back and looks at her.

"I missed you." Rachel says quietly. Quinn inhales deeply and kisses her one good time to show her just how much she had been missed.

"I missed you too." Quinn says after she pulls away.

In that moment, Quinn did not care if anyone had seen it or not, she was just happy to see Rachel again after so long.

Rachel is shocked by Quinn's public affection, but she won't get her hopes up just yet.

They all go back to the house in the limo and when they get there, Quinn opens up the new bag full of gifts for everyone. She's glad that she put Rachel's gift into her carry on beforehand. She wants to give it to her when they're alone.

Quinn watches as Sarah plays with all of the new toys she bought her. Tim's face lights up when he receives the set of pocket-squares and cufflinks that Quinn bought him from an upscale Thai designer. She decides to have a little fun with Rachel. She gives her the gift that was initially for Tim's mother, a bullfrog carved out of brown stone. She works hard at suppressing the laughter when she sees Rachel's face after opening it.

Rachel graciously accepts it with a smile. She holds it up and realizes that it is supposed to be some sort of animal carving.

"Thank you Quinn, you didn't have to get me anything." Rachel tries to be as polite as she could be, given that Quinn thought enough to get her _something_.

Quinn almost loses it when she says that, but only goes so far as giggling lightly. She swallows down her laughter and continues with the joke.

"Oh, you're welcome Rach, when I saw it, I thought of you, so I had to get it. I hope you like it."

"I-I do. It just, I wouldn't know what to do with it. I guess maybe put it on a shelf or something." Quinn nods in agreement.

She asks Rachel to stay with Sarah while she showers and has Tim help her bring up her other bags. When they get into her room, she closes the door.

"I feel bad, Tim." Quinn says with a serious look on her face.

"Why's that? I thought you would be pleasantly surprised to have Rachel here. And what's up with that weird frog thing you bought her?" He asks.

"That's the thing I feel bad about." Tim looks extremely confused for a second, and then slightly disappointed.

"Oh, you didn't get her anything so you gave her something you bought for yourself."

"No, that gift was actually for your mother," Tim bursts into laughter at hearing that.

"And you're kind of wrong about the first thing though, I did get Rachel a gift."

"Well, why didn't you give it to her?" He questions.

Quinn decides to show him rather than tell him about it. Words cannot describe how beautiful it is. Quinn opens her carry on and pulls out the big white jewelry box.

"Because, I got her this," Quinn opens the box.

Tim holds his hands to his chest and awes. He reaches out to touch it and Quinn snatches it back and closes it.

"I wanted to surprise her, maybe make her dinner first… No, I've got it. I'll rent a nice suite tonight since I'm too to tired to cook, we'll eat dinner in and I'll give it to her at the end of the night." Quinn nods as she solidifies the plans as she goes along. Tim raises his eyebrows.

"Well somebody is definitely getting lucky tonight." Quinn laughs and smacks Tim on the arm.

"Can you do me a favor and book a nice suite for me, maybe Chateau Marmont? I'm going to go bathe and then spend the day with Sarah."

After her bath, Quinn rushes downstairs to talk to Rachel before she leaves.

The minute Quinn walks into the living room, Rachel stands up. She says goodbye to Sarah, giving her a kiss on the cheek along with a big hug. She notices Quinn's silence as she stands behind the couch.

Quinn walks her to the foyer, and then she pulls Rachel into a long embrace, before pulling back and really looking at her. Rachel looks back at her with an easy smile on her face.

"I have to go Quinn, I called in and told them I'd be late today. I wish I could take a whole day off, I really wanted to talk. You could call me later, right?"

"Absolutely, but what time do you get off?" She sees Rachel pull out her phone to check.

"It says 6. Which means, 7 or 8 o'clock?"

"Well, I've missed you so much I wanted to take you out tonight. I mean, will you go out with me tonight?" Quinn asks. Rachel looks down at her phone again.

Rachel's silence scares Quinn. What if she already has plans?

"It's okay if you already have a date, I can wait. It's just that, I had a surprise planned tonight."

Rachel cannot believe that Quinn had just asked her out. She really cannot believe that she would think she already had plans tonight. Even if she had, she would cancel them. She shakes her head.

"Quinn, why would you think that I would have a date with anyone else tonight? You are the only person I would want to see tonight or any other night."

"I just thought that you and... I don't know. I thought maybe you had given up on me after all of this time. I know that I deserved it if you had moved on, but I was prepared to fight to win back your heart."

There was no way that Rachel could have moved on from Quinn in such short time. She wants to laugh at such a silly thought. But hearing Quinn say that she would fight for her, makes her heart feel like it is going to jump out of her chest.

"Quinn, I would never give up on us. Granted, you did push me away, but I know you did it to try to protect me. You said give it some time to see if I still wanted this, and I did. It turns out that my feelings for you haven't changed, and I see that your attitude has, so yes I will go out with you." Rachel gives her a smile as she nods her head.

Quinn takes a deep breath, she knows that she would have never given up on Rachel, but hearing that Rachel wouldn't give up her either, is extremely satisfying.

"Really?" Rachel nods in reply and Quinn cannot take her eyes off her. She seems smaller and a little tired, but somehow even more beautiful.

"Great, I'll call you later to tell you where and when, okay." Quinn leans in, and Rachel gives her the cheek.

"What the…"

"Quinn, you know I don't kiss before the first date." Rachel replies coyly.

"Oh really," Quinn gently grabs Rachel's jaw, and leans in, only to give her a soft kiss, right on her cheek.

"I respect that, even though you let me kiss you at the airport." Quinn says with a smirk. She knows that Rachel is putty in her hands, as she stands there with her mouth open.

"That was…a-a hello kiss." Rachel finally says, after gathering her thoughts. Being this close to Quinn after so long is making it hard for her to think straight.

Quinn sees her out after giving her another hug and promising to call her later.

"Oh wait. You almost forgot your frog." Quinn giggles.

"Oh. Thanks." Rachel accepts the big frog rock and takes it with her to her car. She dumps it in the backseat. She admits that it is kind of cute, it's probably just because it is a gift from Quinn. Rachel checks the clock, she had better hurry and get to work. She rushes off, so that she can be sure to make it to dinner tonight.

Quinn spends all day with Sarah, she even took her out for ice cream in the afternoon. She cannot believe how much Sarah has grown since she was gone. She doesn't even want to be held much anymore. Quinn vows not to start another film until it is time for Sarah to start school because she hates feeling as if she's missing out on her baby's precious years.

It is about five o'clock when she gets back home and calls Rachel. She tells her to meet her at the Chateau Marmont at around nine o'clock tonight.

"Make sure you dress up okay, it is a special occasion." Quinn suggested playfully.

"Quinn wait, why the Chateau Marmont? Can't we just go somewhere you're comfortable for dinner? The front of that place is always crawling with paparazzi."

"Rachel, it's fine. We'll arrive separately, anyway they have the most amazing French food. After being in Thailand for so long, I really need to eat something without any hot peppers."

"Are you sure? Beca-"

"Ra-chel," Quinn interrupts in a singsong manner. "I said it's okay. Are you gonna be there or not?"

"Oh I'll be there Quinn, I just wanted to make sure."

"Great, see you tonight." They say their goodbyes and Quinn hangs up. Nothing can wipe the huge grin off of her face tonight.

Quinn dresses in an emerald green dress and tweed fitted blazer. Her hair is done up in loose waves and she matches her eye makeup to her dress. She decides to go to Chateau Marmont early to have them prepare something special in the room. She also decides that they would have dinner in the restaurant instead of up in the room like she had planned.

She really wants Rachel to know that she does not care about being seen with her in public. Now that she has signed the divorce papers, it is official. She is a single woman. They still have to be careful for a while, but she will not let that get in the way of their happiness anymore.

Rachel hurries home to her Homewood suite to shower and get ready for her date with Quinn. She picks out a form-fitting black dress and pairs it with Prada ankle boots. She pulls her hair into a low pony and applies smoky eye makeup with nude lipgloss. She is out of the door and inside her towncar at around 8:45 p.m.

_I'm here._ She texts Quinn.

_I'm in the restaurant. Ask for Fabray._ Quinn replies.

Rachel is shown to a waiting Quinn at a table in the nearly packed restaurant.

"Hi." Rachel loves it when Quinn wears her hair up like this. Her eyes look absolutely stunning tonight.

"Hey." Quinn looks up at Rachel in awe, she is wearing a tight dress. Thank God for Andre.

Quinn stands up, goes over and pulls out Rachel's chair for her. She receives a shy smile from Rachel in response. If she wasn't nervous before, she is now with the way Rachel is staring at her.

Dinner talk starts off smoothly before the maitre di approaches their table. Rachel orders the quinoa cakes with a mushroom sauce and a side of sautéed greens. Quinn orders the same. They eat their meals, and Rachel listens as Quinn tells her about all of the beautiful sights in Thailand.

In the middle of her sentence, Quinn stops speaking. She looks as if she has seen a ghost. Rachel begins to worry until a young couple makes their way to their table.

"Oh my god, why?" Quinn whispers as she watches Karen trounce over, dragging some guy behind her.

Quinn contemplates running out of there, but she doesn't want Rachel to get the wrong idea about her and Karen.

"Hey Quinn. Wow, great minds must think alike huh?" Karen sputtered, giggling nervously.

"Why hello Karen, it is a small world isn't it?" Quinn replies with a tight jaw and fake smile. She looks over at Rachel with apologetic eyes. "Um, this is my girlfriend Rachel, Rachel this is Karen, she was in the movie."

"Hello." Rachel says smiling shyly. She was worried at first that she was an ex-girlfriend of Quinn's or something.

"Hello Rachel," Karen stumbles, looking back and forth between Quinn and Rachel. The guy she is with clears his throat. Quinn cannot believe how awkward and obvious Karen is being.

"Oh, um, Quinn, Rachel, this is my boyfriend…David." She finally manages to get his name out. They all say hello.

Quinn hopes that Karen takes the expression on her face as a signal to go away. If she doesn't go soon, Quinn may have to kill her.

"Well, I guess we'll be going, nice seeing you Quinn, bye." Karen must have gotten the clue. Quinn is forever grateful.

"What was that about?" Rachel asks with a quirked eyebrow. She cannot help but feel slightly jealous. If that girl wasn't an ex, she was acting pretty weird when Quinn said she was her girlfriend.

"It is a long story, I really don't want to talk about it right now. I want to talk about us." Quinn replies, trying to shake the irritation from Karen's former presence.

"You've already said enough, did you mean it though?" Rachel asks.

"Mean what?" Quinn has no clue what Rachel is getting at.

"Before, when you called me your girlfriend,"

"Oh, well I didn't really mean it that way but, is that something you would like to be?"

"If you're asking if I want to be your girlfriend, the answer is yes, a thousand times yes. And I want you to be mine."

"Well, the title is official because I don't know if you've heard, but I am a newly divorced woman."

They are interrupted by the maitre di. He asks if they would like desert. Quinn tells him that they may order in desert later.

When they are done, they exit the restaurant. Quinn quickly checks in with the service desk. She takes Rachel up to the room after making sure everything is prepared. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before opening the door to the suite. Her eyes snap open when she hears Rachel gasp aloud.

"Quinn, they're so beautiful." Rachel squeals.

"In Thailand there were so many beautiful flowers, this one stand had all of these gardenias. They made me think of you. Back in senior year, when we were getting ready for prom, Finn told me that you helped him pick out my corsage the year before. It was a gardenia, with a-"

"Light green ribbon wrapped around it. I remember." Rachel interrupts.

Quinn is taken aback, she did not expect her to remember.

"You do? It's one thing I'll never forget. Another thing is what you had said to me that night. You became more important than winning prom queen to me." Quinn watches as Rachel does that thing where she stares off into space.

Rachel takes in her surroundings as she listens to what Quinn is saying. All of this talk about senior prom brings back memories of that night. She remembers that conversation with Quinn in the hallway. She also remembers that Quinn was in charge of tallying the votes for prom king and queen along with Santana.

"Hey, where'd you go just now?" Quinn asks. Rachel's eyes snap to hers as she breaks from her trance.

"I can't believe it took so long for me to…" Rachel stares at Quinn in awe.

"You made me prom queen didn't you? I mean, I was a little suspicious about the write-ins, but I didn't really spend any time thinking about it back then. But you bringing it up just now, it all just clicked in my mind."

Quinn had planned on taking that secret with her to her grave. She even swore Santana to secrecy. Well now that Rachel knows the truth, at least she found out on her own.

"That is a valid assumption. It was the least I could do for you seeing as I was crippled back then."

"Quinn, don't joke. That was one of my greatest memories about high school, you know."

"And now it's ruined?"

"What? No, it's not ruined. It's just, I feel so stupid."

"What, why? If you're mad at anyone, be mad at me. Don't take it out on yourself, I was the one who deceived you. I'm sorry."

"Quinn, please. I am not mad at you or anyone. You don't have to be sorry when the only thing you are guilty of is unconditional love." Rachel tells her. She cannot believe Quinn would think that she would be angry about something so precious to her. She still has the crown, in a box at her Fathers' house.

Quinn blushes at Rachel's statement. She admits that she was hopelessly in love with Rachel back then, which may have been the reason behind the gesture. She smiles as she takes Rachel by the hand, leading her into living area.

"Cover your eyes." Quinn whispers in her ear. She retrieves the white box and stands before her with it open.

"Okay, open them."

Rachel does as Quinn asks. She feels nervous, because she has no idea what Quinn has up her sleeve. She opens her eyes.

"Oh, my god. It's so beautiful." Rachel breathes out.

"I know. When I saw it, I thought of you."

"But you said the same thing about that bullfrog earlier." Rachel giggles.

"That was actually for Tim's mother." Quinn reveals finally. She had almost forgotten about her little joke.

"Quinn, it was just starting to grow on me. That was a mean prank."

"Ha-ha. You should have seen your face when you opened that box. You have to admit it was kind of funny. Here let me," Quinn continues laughing as she gently places the diamond necklace around Rachel's neck.

"You know, all of these revelations tonight are proving you to be quite a sneaky devil, Quinn Fabray. You have been a very naughty girl." Rachel quirks her eyebrows suggestively.

Quinn's legs feel like noodles as Rachel gives her that come hither look. She swallows thickly as she moves closer to her newly appointed girlfriend.

"Uh, are you gonna teach me a lesson? I have been a bad girl." Quinn quirks an eyebrow right back at her. She smirks when she sees the surprised look on Rachel's face. She may have _some_ trouble taking it, but she can dish it out right back.

When she realizes that Rachel is done talking, Quinn takes the initiative and crashes their lips together. It starts off harder than she intended, much like their first night together. They end up in a fight for dominance, as their tongues dance around each other's mouths. Quinn pulls back after a few minutes and looks at Rachel. She missed her so much. She takes her hand, lacing their fingers together and leads Rachel to the bedroom.

Rachel takes in the beautiful Mediterranean styled room, dimly lit by candlelight. As she steps further in, she realizes that there are rose petals leading from the door to the bed. Quinn is more romantic than she had ever led on. Tonight has already been a dream come true for Rachel. All she ever wanted was Quinn's acknowledgement and she got even more than that. They are girlfriends now. She finds herself wondering what that means for her living situation as Quinn dots her neck with soft kisses.

Quinn basks in Rachel's scent, she could never forget that sweet smell of Jasmine and vanilla. She nudges Rachel's head to the side and begins delivering light kisses to her neck. Her lips glide over the smooth flesh she finds there. She slides her hands around Rachel's back, rubbing soothing patterns there.

She pulls away and guides Rachel over to the edge of the bed, when she hears her breathing becoming rapid. Quinn kicks off her shoes first before reaching down and helping Rachel with hers. They both slide up the bed together.

"I love you, Quinn." Rachel whispers sincerely.

Quinn reaches up and cherishes Rachel's soft cheek. "I love you too, Rachel." She replies tenderly.

Rachel sucks in a deep breath, then she pulls Quinn into her. This time, their kiss is less fervent, more delicate and slow. She thinks it matches the way that they feel about each other perfectly. As she deepens the kiss, Rachel slips her hand into silky golden tresses, giving them a light tug.

Quinn's lungs burn at the deprivation of oxygen, she feels lightheaded, but doesn't care. The woman she loves is finally beside her kissing her with all of her being. She feels Rachel guiding her down, and she allows herself to melt into the mattress under Rachel's warmth.

Rachel wants to show Quinn just how much she means to her. She breaks contact to pull her own dress over her head. Quinn takes her lead and rids herself of her clothing as well. They come back together as Rachel reclaims her position on top of Quinn.

Quinn exhales shakily as each one of Rachel's kisses down her body sends jolts of desire right to her core. She finds herself gripping at the sheets and feels slightly embarrassed because they've barely started and she's already losing control.

Rachel settles down between Quinn's legs shortly after they stripped each other bare. She breathes in Quinn's very own essence, triggering a surge of wetness between her own legs. She sticks out her tongue, tasting the delicious nectar of the woman she loves. She then traces the soft folds before her, eliciting a delightful moan from the blonde.

Quinn reaches down feeling silken locks between her fingers as she presses Rachel's face deeper into her. She throws her head back at the deep pulls she feels after each languorous stroke of Rachel's talented tongue.

Rachel keeps going and when Quinn begins to mumble incoherently, she knows she's almost there. They are both covered in sweat, the heat between Quinn's legs is almost too much for Rachel, but she soldiers on. She wants to provide Quinn with adequate pleasure and she'll take the heat to get it done.

Quinn feels herself nearing the edge. She locks eyes with Rachel, watching her work, non-faltering. She calls out Rachel's name, she feels as if she cannot breathe again. The continued ministrations finally send her over into ecstasy. Her entire body tenses and she tries catching her breath as she comes down. She feels weightless as she drifts off into a deep slumber.

Quinn wakes up to the beautiful profile of Rachel, lying beside her, facing the ceiling.

"Hey." Quinn mumbles. Rachel turns to look at her.

"Hey yourself, sleepyhead."

"I'm sorry, I was really tired. I promise I'll make it up to you."

"It's okay, you just got back from a long trip, I understand. Plus, now that we are official, we can fool around whenever we want."

"Well in that case..." Quinn is interrupted by a knock on the door.

"It's room service." Rachel smiles as she hops up off of the bed and goes to the door. She returns with a breakfast tray full of food.

"I took the liberty of ordering while you were sleeping. I even went against my beliefs and ordered you some bacon."

Quinn cannot believe her. She would have never asked Rachel to do something like that, but the fact that she had, makes her heart soar.

"You're always going against your beliefs for me. I don't know if I could ever thank you properly for being so good to me Rachel. Even if I had been horrible to you, you've always seen past it, like you could into my soul and see the things that even I couldn't."

"Quinn, I had you eating vegan my first week at your house. So it's been more of a compromise than me doing something extraordinary for you. And I know a good way that you could thank me after breakfast. Now, eat up, you're going to need the energy."

"Ha-ha. You really are too much, you know. But I wouldn't take you any other way."

They both set up the small dinette and begin to enjoy their breakfast together.

"Quinn, can I ask you something?" Rachel asks between bites of waffle.

"Sure."

"How did you find out that you were attracted to women? I mean, we've never talked about it,"

Quinn takes in a deep breath as she tries to think back to her first attractions to a girl.

"Um, I think it was, in maybe ninth grade? At cheer camp, when I had first met Santana and Brittany. We would sometimes make out, it was always Santana's idea. I remember really enjoying it, but the minute one of them started taking off my clothes, I would put a stop to it. And then, there was… you."

"So you _were_ attracted to me back then. But you would call me all those horrible names."

"I guess you were the only one that I had real feelings for, and I couldn't handle it. You know, sort of like a schoolboy crush."

"I don't know what to say. You know, the reason that I had asked, was because I was talking to Finn…"

Quinn raises her eyebrows.

Rachel serves her an appeasing look before continuing.

"Um, he said something to me that made me sort of go over high school in my mind and, my most prominent memories are of you. It had always been you. He said that I had this obsession with you in high school, and he was right. I cannot believe that we both liked each other back then and nothing ever happened." Rachel laughs.

"So Finn knew you liked me, and you didn't? That's insane."

"Well, look at us now. I'd say things are going to work out just fine."

Quinn cannot help but laugh at how foolish she had been never telling Rachel how she felt back in high school. She thinks that maybe fate does have a way of correcting our stupid mistakes by giving people another chance to get it right. This is her chance and she will not mess it up for the world.

* * *

A/N 2: Hey, so this was really hard for me to write since I was so not feelin' the love. My GF broke up with me about two weeks ago and I just was not in the mood to write a happy ending love story. I did my best. Tell me, should I leave it like it is or continue it?

In my depressed state, I actually wrote a zombie apocalypse Faberry story a few days ago that I'll post shortly. The story is pretty much done so be sure to check it out. Thank you all for the favs, follows and reviews. I appreciate every one.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: So I'm back in action with this story, sorry for the delay. I want to give this a realistic ending, so I planned out a few more chapters. Thank you to everyone who reviews, favs, or follows this story. Also, I've changed the rating to M just because of these later chapters.

* * *

Things have been wonderful between Quinn and Rachel since they got together back in November. They spent their first Thanksgiving and Christmas with each other along with family and some friends at Quinn's house.

They snuggled up at Quinn's for the week of Rachel's Christmas vacation. Rachel even accompanied her to a friend's Christmas party as their first official outing as a couple.

Quinn had chastised Rachel for buying Sarah a little pink motorized convertible for Christmas. She had always thought that those things were dangerous. Seeing Sarah having fun in the car as it moved at a snail's pace, changed her mind though.

Now it's New Year's Eve and Quinn and Rachel are in New York to celebrate.

"Ra-chel, we're going to be late. Kurt's been calling your phone for the last fifteen minutes. It's eleven twenty-five, I don't want to miss the countdown."

"Alright, alright, I'm coming. My hair was a mess thanks to little miss doesn't want to miss the countdown."

Quinn blushes. Ever since they got together, they cannot keep their hands to themselves. They have been late to countless parties, meetings and appointments all because they had been too caught up in each other.

"Sorry, you know I can't control myself once we get started."

"Quinn, you do want to make to this party don't you?"

"Yes-yes, I do. You just…you look so sexy in that dress…we're coming straight back here after that party."

"God, you just can't get enough of me, can you? You're not alone, Quinn. But we have to go, I hardly ever get to see Kurt these days."

"Okay, I'm ready when you are."

They get to Kurt's apartment in SoHo at around 11:40 p.m.

"Kurt, I-" Rachel begins but Kurt interrupts.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in. Rachel, you've got a lot of nerve showing up this late to my party. But I forgive you, since you brought your lady along with you. Hello, Quinn, you look lovely." Kurt's slurs loudly, he has definitely been drinking.

"Hey, Kurt. Thanks." Quinn says shyly.

"Well, don't just stand there. Get your asses in here!" He yells even louder.

Kurt introduces them to some of his friends and Rachel starts to catch up with some of her friends as well.

Quinn takes a seat in an armchair much like her brown ones at home. A few people she didn't know approached her, recognizing her from her movie. She loves meeting fans, but she just wants to enjoy her drink in peace. A shadow casts itself over her and she looks up, not really surprised since she pretended not to notice him before. Finn.

"Quinn, hey, I haven't seen you in such a long time. How have you been?" He asks, she could smell the strong scent of alcohol on his breath from her seat.

"I've been good." She replied tersely.

"That's good. Um, Rachel told me you have a daughter, so do I. Uh sorry to hear about your divorce though."

"Things are fine, Finn. No need to be sorry for that."

"Oh, okay, so Rachel brought you out here? She told me before that you were still friends."

"Yes, something like that."

"Well okay, I won't bother you any longer. Nice seeing you though, you look good." He bends down and reaches around her in the most awkward hug Quinn has experienced in her life. She forces herself not to forcefully push him away and settles for patting his back to let him know the hug is over.

Rachel watched the whole scene from afar. Seeing Quinn robotically hugging Finn has to be one of the most endearing thing she has ever seen Quinn do. She could tell she was uncomfortable, but decided not to interrupt.

Soon enough, it was time for the countdown. Rachel came over and grabbed Quinn by the hand, leading her through Kurt's bedroom to the balcony. Most of the people came out to the balcony as well, including Finn.

"Come on you two," Kurt waved them over to the wall next to him.

The countdown began, in the last five seconds Rachel and Quinn locked eyes. They counted down the numbers into each other's faces and when the clock struck midnight, their lips met.

It was a very tame kiss, yet intimate, lasting longer than a kiss between just two friends would. It was a silent way to come out to anyone who had been paying attention. As they pulled apart, they both looked over to see Finn staring at them in shock.

"So you two are…_together_." Finn approaches them as they make their way out of Kurt's apartment.

"Um, yes we're _together_, as in girlfriends. Sorry I never told you, but back then we weren't technically together so…"

"Naw, you don't have to be sorry Rachel. It's just…wow, it's a lot to wrap my head around. You two were always fighting-"

"And now we're not. So if you have a problem with us being together that's your problem." Quinn interrupts.

"Quinn," Rachel whined, she can feel Quinn tensing in her grip around her waist.

"No, I-I don't have a problem with it. But just for my sanity, you guys didn't use to think about each other whenever you made out with me or anything?"

"Are you serious?" Quinn snapped.

"Finn, no. Uh, I think that's our queue to leave. See you around Finn. Bye Kurt, we're going!" She practically drags Quinn away from Finn. She looked seconds away from clawing his eyes out.

They make it back to Rachel's apartment after that ordeal. Quinn fumed the entire way home in the taxi. Rachel kept hold of her hand, allowing her to squeeze as tightly as she could stand to take.

"What an ass." Quinn mumbles as they step into the apartment.

"Quinn, he wasn't that bad. I just think he's insecure. I mean, every girl he's dated or slept with in high school are into girls now. For a guy, that has to feel kind of bad I guess."

"Maybe you're right, but it was neither the time nor place for that kind of question. It really isn't his business at all." She plops down forcefully onto the couch, kicking off her heels.

"I know, but he was a little tipsy." Rachel sees Quinn's glare in her peripheral. "Okay, I'll stop defending him. Now, let's remove our clothes and resume some of our earlier activities, sound good?"

"Mmm, yes. I appreciate the subject change for once." Quinn purrs as she places her hands on Rachel's hips, pulling her into her lap.

Quinn tips her chin up to meet Rachel's lips in an alcohol-tinged kiss. They peel away their layers until they are bare. It's winter in New York, so the heater does nothing to warm them up. They rush to get under the blankets on Rachel's bed before resuming their activities throughout the night.

They get back to L.A. and Rachel goes back to her suite to get her new script to study.

"So I think I'm going to have to stay here for a few days to study this, babe. They're giving me more songs now that my pre-released solo sold so well."

"What? But I'll miss you."

"I know, I'll miss you too Quinn."

Quinn doesn't see her for a week.

She feels like she is going through withdraws or something, not having Rachel in her bed at night has caused her to toss and turn for some reason. She misses coming down and having breakfast all together like they had all summer. Phone calls and texts could only do so much to satiate her need for everything Rachel. It is not enough.

When they first got together officially, Rachel wanted to move in right away, but Quinn told her it might be too soon. She had never shared a room with a significant other before. Rachel agreed to adjourn her request as long as Quinn didn't make her wait a long time.

Here Quinn is almost three months later, at a locksmith, having Rachel's set of keys made especially for her. She found a place that carried any kind of key you could think of. This place offered shiny gold keys with stars engraved at the top. They were perfect for her.

This whole week has been a pain as well as a blessing. Rachel's show premiere is coming up and the preview reviews are extremely positive. She calls Quinn up to tell her the news.

"Baby, I've got great news! The critics love the show! The premiere is uh, next Tuesday so you can make it, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. Are you coming over tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm a bit sore but I don't mind letting you do all the work." She chuckles.

"Oh, really? Well, same as usual then."

"Are you implying? That I-"

"Hey, I'm just saying. The last few times…let's just say, my head didn't hit the pillow until we were done."

"How dare you! That was maybe once or twice and you know it Quinn Fabray. We've switched pretty much every time besides that."

Quinn finds herself laughing hard at the fact that Rachel is getting all worked up over this.

"Prove it."

"Oh, I am going to show you Quinn. Then you'll see Rachel Berry is not one to lie down and take it!"

Jesus. Quinn cannot wait until tonight.

She is up and out of bed at around 2 a.m. Sarah's been asleep for hours, and Quinn has gotten in a short nap herself. She's ready.

Rachel wraps her arms around herself as she approaches Quinn's front door. The cool January air goes right through her trench coat. She's glad to be out of the cold when Quinn lets her in.

"Hey baby,"

"Hey." Quinn leans down and kisses her lips chastely. "I have your favorite drink waiting upstairs."

"Strawberry lemonade?" Rachel asks losing some of her sexy persona.

"Yep,"

"You made it from scratch?"

"Uh huh." Quinn nods.

Rachel says nothing as a smile spreads across her face. She loves it when does little thoughtful things just for her. She grabs Quinn by the hand, and leads her up the stairs, making sure to turn up her sexy persona.

Quinn tags along, watching Rachel's hips sway smoothly as she ascends the stairs. She cannot believe how Rachel just goes from innocent to smoldering within seconds. She pours two glasses for her and Rachel, handing one to her before taking a seat next to her at the edge of the bed.

Rachel quickly gulps down most of her drink before turning to Quinn, taking her glass and setting them aside. She stands up in front of Quinn, who is sitting there with a stunned expression.

"It seems you may have forgotten about our little conversation earlier."

"I-I didn't forget. So are you going to prove me wrong?"

Rachel smirks seductively as she unties the belt of her trench and then proceeds to unbutton it. Each button reveals more and more smooth tan skin. She can hear Quinn audibly gulp as she allows the coat to fall around her ankles.

This is the first time she has ever presented herself so openly to Quinn. Despite making love as many times as they have, it was mostly under dim lighting. Rachel feels equal parts liberated and vulnerable as she watches Quinn drink in the sight of her naked form.

Quinn grips her duvet tightly as she tries to keep from pulling her beautiful girlfriend down onto the bed and licking her from head to toe. She takes in all of the smoothness of Rachel's tan skin. Sure she's seen her naked countless times, but have her standing before her, bare, it gives her goose bumps.

Rachel thinks she has had a enough of a look, so she pushes Quinn back, guiding her to lie down in the middle of the bed. She crawls on her hands and knees, until she's hovering over Quinn. Quinn's hands find her waist, and she leans forward, finally connecting their lips.

As soon as Rachel's body comes into contact with hers, Quinn feels like she is on fire. She tries to sit up without breaking their kiss to remove her clothes, but Rachel stops her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm proving you wrong." She whispers against Quinn's lips. "I want you to lie back, I'll do it for you."

"But I'm only wearing a nightgown."

"Quinn,"

She doesn't protest, Quinn just lies back down as Rachel ordered.

Rachel rids her of her nightgown and runs her hands up Quinn's sides, eliciting a sharp intake of air followed by a soft moan. Giving her a quick peck, Rachel hops from the bed quickly.

"Where are you going?"

"I have a surprise." Rachel says as she reaches down into her coat pocket before springing back up.

She crawls backup until she hovers over Quinn. She slides one hand down Quinn's arm, grabbing her by the wrist and bringing her arm above her head. She repeats the process for the other. Then she slips the fuzzy handcuffs on as she kisses Quinn to distract her, until they click.

"Hey, what's this?" Quinn tilts her head back to see her hands cuffed to the bed.

"It's just to keep you in your place while I work." Rachel states plainly.

"What has gotten into you? You never said you were into bondage."

"Are you uncomfortable?"

"No, no, I like it. It's just…this is different."

"Then part of my job is done. Shall we proceed?" Rachel only gets a light gasp as a response from Quinn as she dives into the crook of her neck and begins nibbling and sucking on the tender flesh there.

Quinn writhes and squirms as Rachel lavishes her neck and chest with her warm mouth for what seems like forever. She tugs at her restraints when Rachel starts to move a little lower, she cannot help the noises that she makes.

Rachel revels in the smooth, silky flesh of Quinn's breasts. She provides them with light kisses as she gently caresses the pillowy soft flesh.

Quinn arches into Rachel's mouth as takes one of her nipples into her mouth. She squeezes her eyes shut, crying out as Rachel sucks on each one of them. Her breathing becomes erratic as Rachel kisses down her abs, licking at them and then sucking on her hipbones.

Slowly she builds Quinn up, kissing, licking and rubbing certain parts of her that she sometimes never touches, but she's here to show Quinn that she is nothing but thorough when it comes to doing her part. She wants to prove that she is a hard worker and a dedicated one at that, putting aside her own pleasure to provide it to Quinn.

Quinn begs for release, she has no shame at this point, her girlfriend is teasing her, mercilessly, all because of a couple of jabs. Quinn contemplates never toying with her like that again, but then Rachel comes up and sucks on her neck again. She realizes that all of this torture has been one of the most pleasurable times she has ever had with Rachel. She partly doesn't want it to stop.

After what feels like forever, Rachel decides that Quinn has had enough. She was already pretty tired and she needs relief herself. So she slides her thigh in between Quinn's legs, simultaneously making contact with one of Quinn's thighs herself. She rides Quinn's thigh as she grinds her own into Quinn.

Quinn comes apart first and Rachel watches her, the sounds she makes, the shimmer of sweat, her chest heaving, her body trembling, her own orgasm squeezes the life out of her at the sight. She falls on top of Quinn out of breath.

Their lips finally meet again in a languid swirl of tongues. Rachel adjusts until she is next to Quinn, barely able to move. She reaches up and unlatches Quinn's wrists right before falling asleep in her arms.

The next day, Quinn wakes up with painful purple lines on her wrists. They hurt, but they remind her of her and Rachel's activities last night. She slips out of bed to go down into the kitchen to make her girls some breakfast.

In the middle flipping the second french toast, she hears shuffling coming towards the kitchen. She looks up to find Rachel carrying Sarah into the kitchen and taking a seat at the island.

"Morning, sleepyheads." Quinn turns to greet them. She gets a mumbled response from her daughter, who snuggles deeper into Rachel's side.

"Good morning, what are you making?"

"Your favorite."

"Vegan french toast?"

"Yep."

"Oh, you hear that Sarah? Mommy's making us french toast."

"I want syrup." Sarah demands, muffled by Rachel's shirt.

They sit down and enjoy breakfast together just like they used to in the summer. Quinn takes the opportunity to ask Rachel to move back in with her.

"So, Rachel?" Quinn cannot help but feel excited and a little nervous.

"Yes Quinn." Rachel answers readily.

"I wanted to ask you something." Quinn folds her hands in front of her on the table as she looks at Rachel. She finds Rachel's willingness to do anything for her to be quite astonishing.

"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I want you to move back in. I had the keys made a few days ago and I've been waiting for the right time to ask you."

Rachel is shocked, she had not expected to hear those words for another month or so. She knew that things were going well and Quinn had been complaining whenever she had to go home.

"Okay, I-I've been waiting for you to come to your senses."

"I don't know what I was thinking. All I know now is that I need to wake up next to you everyday. I couldn't take it when I didn't see you for a week."

"You went months without me, now you can't go a week? Not that I'm complaining."

"Let's just call it temporary insanity. Really though, I want you here for Sarah like you were before in the summer and at Christmas." Quinn reaches out and takes Rachel's hand, stroking the back of it with her thumb.

"Were a family now and I love you."

"I love you too Quinn."

It's the night of her show's premiere and despite being tired Rachel is extremely excited. She has been at work all day and she will go to the theatre from there. She gets a call from Quinn, wishing her good luck as she readies herself in her dressing room.

Quinn calls Ashley to get information on where she is supposed to enter the theatre away from the photographers and fans. Ashley had become Rachel's assistant as well as PR manager since she started dating Quinn. That way it would be easier to keep track of everything and keep things in line as far as appearances.

Ashley meets Quinn at her car and quickly walks her to the entrance. Ashley tells her that she is only allowed to greet Rachel and then go to her seat.

"Quinn! Hey! You made it. You look gorgeous."

"Hi, you look amazing. I'm so proud of you, you made it."

"Thank you Quinn, for being here, for everything." Rachel beams.

"Alright you two. Quinn you have to get to your seat." Ashley interrupts.

Rachel kisses her cheek before Ashley pulls Quinn away to take her to her seat.

After viewing the episode, Rachel is swarmed with interviewers. Seeing that she will not be able to talk to Rachel at all tonight, Quinn goes home early. Besides, she wants to be there in time to put Sarah to bed. She texted Rachel to congratulate her and tell her that she's going. She gets a sadface as a response.

Later on, Rachel let's herself into the house, using her own set of keys. She quietly goes into the bedroom and shimmies out of her dress before changing into pajamas. She slips into the bed behind Quinn, cuddling up closely. She wraps an arm around Quinn's waist and reaches up to kiss her cheek goodnight.

"Goodnight Quinn." She whispers.

"Goodnight Rachel." Quinn mumbles back.

Rachel smiles as she tightens her grip around her girlfriend in their bed and falling asleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Rachel leaves set for the last time, they just wrapped up filming today even though the wrap party was yesterday. She cannot wait to get home to her family for a much needed vacation.

As she walks up the front steps, the front door cracks open and Quinn steps out looking a little discomforted.

"Hey, baby what's wrong?" Rachel asks, slightly concerned.

"Nothing, it's just, there's been a change in plans."

"What? We're not going?"

"No, we're still going. There's just a few more of us going that's the problem."

"Who's coming with us?"

Quinn turns around and walks back into the house hoping that Rachel follows, because if she has to say it aloud, she may scream.

They walk into a chatter-filled living room full of some familiar faces and some new. Rachel is greeted by Timothy, Ashley, and Jason Tim's boyfriend. Ashley introduces her to Derek, her "friend".

"Hello," Rachel says, still confused to why everyone is coming on vacation with her, Quinn and Sarah. Tim and his boyfriend she could see, but Ashley and some random guy, not so much.

He is athletic looking, with dyed blond hair and squared jaw, he is like a male version of Quinn. They talk a little about things they are excited to do when they get to Hawaii, but Rachel cannot concentrate on anything they're saying.

Rachel excuses herself to go and find out where Quinn wandered off to. She goes upstairs and finds her in her wardrobe room as Sarah runs around in a circle, shouting until she sees Rachel.

"Rachel!" Sarah screams as she runs toward her.

"Hi, how's my little angel princess?"

"I'm having fun! I was running and momma didn't tell me to stop!"

Rachel looks over at Quinn who's kneeling next to a large suitcase and stuffing it with random items of clothing.

"Quinn, what in the world is going on?"

"It's like we don't have a say in our own lives anymore, you know. I tried to tell you." Quinn gets up and walks past Rachel, yanking down more clothes to pack.

"Quinn, answer me. What is going on? Who is that guy?"

"He is coming with us too. Ashley said since your show is so successful, the execs will be watching everything you do, so…"

"So she's coming to watch us? That's just stupid Quinn."

"I don't make the rules. Neither do you." That doesn't stop Quinn from being pissed though.

Rachel cannot believe her week of relaxation is going to be moderated by her PR manager. This is insanity.

"Well maybe we shouldn't go then." Rachel said, crossing her arms around herself.

Quinn looks over her shoulder at Rachel, she looks so disappointed, but she told her things wouldn't be easy.

"No, Rachel, we-we can still go and…you deserve a vacation. You've been working so hard, I still want us to go and try to have fun. Plus I already promised Sarah the Sea-Life Park."

Rachel looks down at Sarah, who's playing with her 'Quinn' doll that she bought for her, on the lounge chair. She cannot let her little angel princess down. She had already missed her third birthday party because of work, and she still feels bad about that.

"Okay. What time is the flight tomorrow?"

They arrive after a smooth flight from LAX, everyone meets up at the baggage claim. They find out their bags have not arrived yet.

"You have got to be kidding me." Quinn says after the person behind the service desk tells her that their bags will arrive on the next flight. This vacation has already started off on a bad note, all she wanted to do is take a week to relax with her girls.

"So I guess we'll have to just wait then." Rachel says as she grabs Quinn's hand. She can tell this whole thing is starting to bring out Quinn's temper because she squeezes back really hard.

After everyone gets their bags, they load up both of the Jeeps that Tim and Jason rented while they waited. The scent of tropical flowers overwhelms them as they drive down the winding roads to the house they will be staying at for the next five days.

It is a nice clean four bedroom home, right on the ocean with a private beach behind it. Quinn and Rachel take the master suite since Sarah will be sleeping with them. Tim and Jason share the second biggest room and Ashley and Derek get their own rooms. Everyone goes to bed even though it is only 8 o'clock p.m.

The next day, Quinn wakes up with Sarah's foot in her face. She had turned completely sideways between her and Rachel somehow in the night. She looks over at Rachel, sleeping soundly with her mouth open and Sarah's head on her shoulder. They look adorable, Quinn wants to just hug them but she doesn't want to wake them up. Instead, she goes out after brushing her teeth to find Tim and Jason up and already making breakfast.

"Good morning honey, get any rest?" Tim asks from in front of the stove.

"Good morning Tim. Jason." Quinn says groggily.

"Good morning Quinn." Jason says smiling, a little too brightly.

"Yeah, I got some sleep. Woke up with Sarah's foot in my face."

Tim and Jason laugh.

"So what's on the itinerary for today?"

"Sea-Life Park. Sarah wants to go and it's kind of the main reason we're here."

"You planned a trip to Hawaii just to bring our daughter to see some dolphins? You know Sea-World is like two hours from the house right?"

"Yes I know that, Tim. But Rachel wanted a vacation after she wrapped the show so I organized this whole thing not knowing it would be this…big thing, you know."

"I do know, and I'm sorry. But you have to look at the positive side of this, they will see that we still get along after the divorce. And the ratio of men to women is pretty equal, so the public could pair us up as they please without knowing the truth."

"Yeah I guess you're right. It's best to leave things to their imaginations for now."

They all divide between the two Jeeps and make their way to the Sea-Life Park per Tim's directions. It was a short trip down a winding road with a beautiful view of the ocean on one side and lush greenery on the other.

"So who wants to swim with the dolphins?" Tim asks, staring directly at Sarah.

"Me!" Sarah screams.

Rachel doesn't say anything as everyone else gets ready to take their swim in the water with the dolphins. Her anxiety level is rising but she doesn't want to spoil everyone else's mood because of her fear.

Quinn senses that Rachel is a bit hesitant to get into the water. She did teach her the basics of swimming last summer, but maybe it's something else.

"Hey, you don't have to swim if you don't want to Rachel. It's okay."

"Really? You won't be disappointed?"

"No, baby, why I be disappointed? If you're scared, I don't want you getting in the water. You could drown yourself or someone else if you panic." Quinn says reassuringly as she rubs up and down Rachel's arms.

Rachel watches from the side of the pool as they all have fun playing with the dolphins. She gets some really great pictures of Sarah and Quinn doing tricks with the dolphins.

They spend the rest of the day watching the sea lions, penguins and learning about creatures from under the sea in the aquarium.

Tim found a place on his phone that he thinks may serve vegan or at least vegetarian meals. Rachel thanks him for being considerate. It takes a while for them to be seated because of the size of their party.

When they get to the table, everyone pulls out their own chairs except for Derek. He pulls out a chair and gestures for Quinn to take the seat before seating himself. Who the hell does this guy think he is? She wonders.

Quinn looks over at Rachel immediately after taking her seat. She sends her a silent apology and receives an understanding nod in return.

They talk during dinner and find out that Derek is a model trying to venture out into acting. He then begins to go on about how much of a fan of Quinn he is.

Rachel cannot believe this, he isn't even embarrassed about his creepy obsession with her girlfriend. She decides to keep a closer eye on this guy for the rest of the trip.

After eating their fill, they all went back to the house. The drowsiness took over as soon as they walked through the door. Sarah was already asleep and Tim carried her into Quinn and Rachel's room for them.

"I am so tired." Rachel says as she leans into Quinn. They kiss a little as they stand until Quinn sits down on the edge of the bed, pulling Rachel with her. Rachel rises up immediately.

"Quinn, we can't."

"What? She's asleep, we don't have to go that far, but I cannot spend this entire trip without a little bit of…something."

Rachel looks over at Sarah, she is sound asleep but she still feels creepy getting intimate with Quinn in front of her daughter. An idea hits her, and she pulls Quinn up from off the bed.

"What are you…oh," Quinn smiles as Rachel leads her into the en suite bathroom.

They take care of their needs quickly in the bathroom before cleaning themselves up and turning in for the night. This trip is turning out better than they had expected.

"Hey guys, I was thinking that we could maybe go snorkeling today. I found this place that rents out the gear and everything."

"I'd love to go, but Sarah can't snorkel Tim." Quinn says.

"Sorry, I hadn't thought about that. Man, well maybe we could find something else-"

"I'll watch her Quinn." Ashley pipes in.

"Are you sure? You guys can go ahead, me and Sarah will be fine."

"No, Quinn. I want you to have some fun on this trip. Anyways, I'll just charge you extra, okay." Ashley jokes.

They rent the equipment and go through a quick tutorial with the instructor before going out on the boat.

After snorkeling, they end up walking together along the shoreline making small talk as they watch the sunset.

"So Quinn," Derek starts off.

Rachel rolls her eyes, when will this guy get a clue. Quinn has ignored him for the most part of the day. She watched as he made a fool of himself showing off for Quinn, now he won't stop with the twenty-one questions.

"What kind of music do you usually listen to?" He asks.

Quinn suppresses a smile, as she sees the look on Rachel's face that she gets whenever Derek opens his mouth. She tries to think of an answer that won't provoke any further questions from him.

"Um, anything Broadway or any musical. I love it all." She half lies.

"Really? I love Westside Story and Singing in the Rain. You have really great taste."

Damn it, she thought that would work. Yet he goes on, asking Quinn questions despite Tim's many attempts at changing the subject.

"I am exhausted. I'm ready to go you guys." Rachel fakes a yawn and everyone buys it or at least pretends to, just to keep Derek from any further embarrassment.

Quinn throws an arm over Rachel's shoulders as they silently walk back to the Jeep. Rachel makes sure that she sits between Derek and Quinn in the backseat as Tim drives them back to their temporary home.

They decide to take it easy the next day and stay in. Tim and Ashley woke up early and went shopping at the market, bringing back lots of fresh fruit and veggies. Jason helps Tim prepare the grill so that they can have an all-day outdoor feast while they take full advantage of the private beach.

It is a beautiful day, and Rachel decides to get some sun. She lies out on a towel and applies suntan lotion on all of her exposed skin. Quinn comes over and helps her get her back and then she does the same for Quinn.

"Make sure you put enough and get it rubbed in. Otherwise, I'll burn, and we do not want that." Quinn says playfully, enjoying the feeling of Rachel's skillful hands on her back.

"No, we don't." Rachel agrees. She continues rubbing, long slow strokes into Quinn's pale skin.

"Mommy! Come on! Take me in the water!" Sarah demands.

"Okay, baby mommy's coming." Quinn and Rachel share a look before she gets up to rush over to take Sarah for a swim.

Rachel watches Quinn walk away as she positions herself on her back to soak up some sun.

Quinn and Tim each take one of Sarah's hands and lift her up as they venture deeper into the ocean. Sarah squeals in delight as the cool waves sweep the three of them back to shore. They end up doing it over and over until Sarah decides that she wants to go and build a sand castle.

Jason and Derek play catch with a football as Quinn walks back over to the blanket where Rachel is lying.

"Hey, Quinn wanna play?" Derek asks as she continues to make her way over to Rachel.

"I don't think so." She replies politely.

"Aw, come on. Ask Rachel, she can be on Jason's team."

Quinn reluctantly asks Rachel if she wants to come play touch football with Jason and Derek. Surprisingly Rachel says yes, and Quinn takes her hand to help her get up from the blanket.

"Alright let's go." Derek says excitedly.

He throws the football and Quinn catches it, she takes off immediately towards the field goal marker in the sand.

Rachel almost cheers for Quinn until she realizes that she is supposed to try to tag her before she makes a touchdown. She takes off, but it is too late, Quinn runs past the marker as Derek blocks Jason from touching her.

"Rachel, what are you doing to us?" Jason hollered playfully.

Rachel laughs as she shrugs her shoulders. "Sorry."

She turns around and she almost chokes. Derek had the audacity to pick Quinn up and spin her around as they celebrated their first touchdown. How dare he?

They get back in position and Rachel stares pointedly at Quinn as they stand face to face.

"What the hell was that?" Rachel whispers angrily.

"Rachel, he's clueless. Let it go." Quinn whispers back.

Rachel wants to let it go but this guy is surely mistaken if he thinks that he could touch Quinn whenever he wants. She gets the ball and takes off in the right direction towards her teams marker. She looks over her shoulder to see Quinn right on her heels. She screams out to Jason, but it's too late, and Quinn taps her.

The next play, Derek throws Quinn the ball again and this time Rachel remembers to run. Quinn turns and sees her coming, but before she reaches her, she throws the ball to Derek. He catches it, and Rachel veers over and punches the ball right out of his arms.

"Ow! Hey it's supposed to be _touch_ football!" He screams.

Rachel is shocked at her own actions and she immediately feels bad. Especially as Derek kneels down, cradling his arm. He looks to be in a lot of pain, as he tries to play it off.

"Sorry," Rachel murmurs morosely.

Quinn can feel her body begin to shake violently as she tries to hold in laughter. She cannot believe that Rachel just did that. She reminds herself to never piss her off.

It's the last day of their trip, they decide to go for a hike in the afternoon on one of the trails near the house. Derek stays in his room, he says he doesn't want to hurt his arm again.

Rachel thinks it's because he is actually angry with her. She plans to apologize to him before they leave tomorrow.

Ashley stays behind as well to watch Sarah. Quinn kisses her daughter before they leave and promises not to be gone for too long this time.

The hike wasn't very long, but it was very strenuous. Rachel's back is killing her, she must have hurt herself when she punched Derek yesterday.

Quinn has to help Rachel to the car afterwards, she'll probably be sore tomorrow as well.

"Well girls, I'd like to thank you for allowing us to accompany you on your vacation. I had a blast."

"You're welcome Jason. It was nice to get to know you better." Quinn really likes him and she hopes that Tim is smart and keeps him around for a while.

When they get in, Quinn goes into Ashley's room and sees that she and Sarah had fallen asleep. She decides to take this opportunity to be with Rachel once more before they go home.

Quinn helps Rachel out of her clothes after she removes her own. They interlace their fingers before joining their lips as well as their bodies. Quinn gasps into Rachel's mouth at the contact that she had been missing for while.

They pull apart and Quinn guides Rachel to lie on her stomach. She straddles Rachel's hips and smoothes her hands up her back.

"Try not to fall asleep baby." Quinn whispers directly into Rachel's ear. She feels her quiver beneath her at her words.

"I'll try." Rachel whispers airily.

She cannot help the loud moan that escapes her throat as Quinn kisses down her back. She is sore and sensitive all over and Quinn's magic lips feel extremely good gliding along her skin.

Quinn shushes Rachel, but she knows it's hopeless. She starts rubbing her shoulders in small circles, eliciting more moaning. The sounds cause a surge of wetness to erupt from between her legs. She may not last very long at this rate.

Rachel turns over, she cannot handle it any longer. She wants Quinn now.

Quinn leans down and captures Rachel's lips as she readjusts herself onto one of her girlfriend's thighs. They begin rocking together as they enjoy each other's mouths.

Quinn grinds down, increasing her pace as she feels herself beginning to tense. She rises up, arching her back, moaning uncontrollably and riding Rachel's thigh with wild abandon.

Rachel watches Quinn in the moonlight, her breasts bouncing along as she rides her leg. It's one of her favorite positions to view Quinn. She moves her hands up from Quinn's hips to cup her breasts. They are both being obscenely loud, but she doesn't care at this point.

When they finally come down from their climaxes, Rachel feels recharged. She gets up and puts on her robe to go and get them some water. She flicks on the kitchen light and almost jumps out of her skin.

"Derek? What are you doing sitting in the dark?" She asked clutching her chest.

"Sorry, I- um, I couldn't sleep. I…you know you guys could've told me. I feel like an idiot."

"What? No, Derek. I'm really sorry about your arm. I admit I was a little jealous of all the attention you were giving to Quinn."

"She's wonderful, and so are you. You're lucky to have each other. I guess I know why I was invited here now and I understand."

"You are a really nice guy Derek."

"Thanks, I wish you could've seen that before you tried to break my arm."

"I really am sorry."

"It's okay. I would do much worse to a guy flirting with my girl right in front of me."

They share a laugh before Rachel returns to the bedroom with two bottles of water.

"What took you so long?"

"Derek knows."

"How?" Quinn asks before she thinks about it.

"…Oh." Quinn smirks, they were _really_ loud.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: I would like to thank everyone who has been reading, there are only a few chapters left. I may eventually write a sequel later on, maybe for Faberry week.

A/N: This chapter also contains probably one of the longest sex scenes that I have ever written and I hope you all enjoy, thank you again.

* * *

After returning home from the trip, Rachel and Quinn stayed in bed together for an entire day. Sarah went to visit her grandmother and will not be back for a few days, so they are taking the opportunity to relish in their time alone.

Rachel has her laptop in bed with her, clicking away as Quinn sleeps. She went online and looked herself up, just out of curiosity. What she found was simultaneously exciting and a little frightening.

There was a forum where people were speculating about her relationship with Quinn. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she went through post after post of pictures of them together doing normal everyday things and even some pictures of their recent vacation.

She feels a little exposed, but also relieved. Relieved that there are some people out there that are rooting for them, who support them for who they are together, and apart. It makes her proud that many of these fans are young girls looking up to her and Quinn.

She hates the fact that if she were a man, speculation about her and Quinn's relationship wouldn't be viewed as a dirty secret to the public. This becomes more apparent as she happens upon Gossip Mag's recent article about their vacation.

_Looks like things are heating up for ex-Hollywood royalty Quinn Fabray and her BFF Rachel Berry. The new star of the Teen Nick show that has her singing Top 40 hits that top the charts on a weekly basis, was seen on vacation in Hawaii with Quinn, her ex-husband Timothy Blake, their daughter and a few friends. We have EXCLUSIVE pics of them enjoying some fun in the sun on the beach. _

_While we have had our reservations about the nature of the relationship between the two female stars, there are quite a few cute moments between Quinn, whose upcoming movie comes out in October, and a really hot unknown man. This all went on right in front of her ex-hubby, so it looks like they are still on good terms as far as their failed marriage goes._

_The group all seemed to have had a great time, but these pics of Quinn and Rachel together on a towel, speak for themselves. Are they just innocent pictures of two friends helping each other out by rubbing suntan lotion on their backs? Or a little more than that? You decide!_

Rachel slams down the top of her laptop after reading that. As much as it annoys her that they keep calling her Quinn's BFF, it really pisses her off that they included the part about 'cute moments' between Quinn and Derek.

"What are you doing?" Quinn mumbles with her head still planted on her pillow.

"Oh, sorry for waking you. I was just online and I saw something stupid."

Quinn sits up, holding the sheet over her bare skin. "What time is it?"

"It's like half past eleven." Rachel crawls up the bed next to Quinn, she gently guides her head down into her own lap.

Quinn purrs as Rachel runs her fingers through her hair, she loves waking up like this.

"Baby,"

"Hmm,"

"I saw some things, online…about us."

Quinn lifts her head to look up at Rachel. "You looked?"

"I was curious."

"What did you find?"

"It was like a chain of things, did you know that there are fans of us, as a couple?"

"I've heard about it."

"Well, there are a lot of them. They even made up a portmanteau for us."

"What's that?"

"Our last names, smashed together. It's Faberry. I know, it sounds funny, but it's kind of cute."

"Is it? Why couldn't it just be Fabray-Berry?"

"Well if that's the case, it could very well be Berry-Fabray."

"Why does it feel like we've had this argument before?"

Summer came and went quickly, it seems like only yesterday when they were enjoying themselves in Hawaii and going out on double dates with Tim and Jason.

Now, it's August, and Rachel has started work again. It wasn't as bad as Quinn thought it would be because she would occupy her time with reading to and helping Sarah learn to write her name. But today is the day all of that will change and while Quinn is proud of her little girl, she is terrified.

"Oh God, I don't know if I can do this without you here."

"Don't worry Quinn, I wouldn't miss this for the world. I cannot believe it's my little angel princess' first day of school."

"Okay, Tim is already here. He's helping her get her shoes on, she's so excited. Why is she so happy to leave me?"

"Quinn, no. Do not do this to yourself. Remember to breathe, in through your nose, out through your mouth and try to calm down. I'll be there, okay honey?"

"I'll try to calm myself, but I don't know."

Quinn goes over and picks Sarah up and peppers her face with kisses before holding her tightly.

"Oh, mommy's going to miss you so much sweetheart. I love you, don't you forget that." Tears escape from her eyes as she inhales her daughter's scent, storing it away to memory.

"You're acting like she's going off to war."

"Tim, you don't understand. This is my _baby _and she's going out into the world for the first time ever. What if a mean kid hurts her or something? How am I supposed to protect her, Tim?"

"Quinn, she's going to a private school with like 8 kids in her class. I doubt that anything like that would happen without the teacher knowing."

They meet with Rachel just outside of Sarah's school. Quinn immediately grips her hand tightly as they walk Sarah up the stairs leading into the building.

"Quinn, you have to calm down. You're going to break my hand."

"Sorry, I can't help it."

Quinn releases Rachel's hand as she walks into Sarah's classroom to talk to her teacher. She had already met with her last week at the orientation and explained to her about Sarah's living situation. It was very nerve wrecking to have to come out once again, to her daughter's teacher no less.

That is why she has Rachel here by her side as well as Timothy. She wants Ms. Clarke to know that Sarah comes from a home full of love and support.

"Well hello Ms. Fabray, hi Sarah. Ready for your first day of school?"

Sarah suddenly becomes shy as she hides behind her mother's leg. Quinn smiles down at her, placing a hand on her back.

"Hello Ms. Clarke." Quinn giggles. "She was all set to go before we left the house, now she seems to be a little shy."

"That's alright, it's perfectly normal. So, this must be Sarah's father and your partner, I'm assuming."

"Oh, yes! I'm sorry. Where are my manners? Ms. Clarke this is Timothy, Sarah's father and my girlfriend Rachel."

"Hello." They all greet each other and shake hands with Ms. Clarke.

"They are both on the list for alternatives to pick Sarah up from school or for any emergencies."

"Great! So we're all set then. I'm going to ask all of the parents to say a quick goodbye so that the children are able to adjust to being here."

Quinn feels her stomach twist, she would stay with Sarah all day if she could. She kneels down and envelops her little girl in her arms, pulling back to kiss her forehead.

Rachel reaches out and rubs a soothing pattern between Quinn's shoulder blades. When Quinn stands, she bends down to say goodbye to Sarah as well. Tim does the same and then they have to physically drag Quinn out of the classroom.

"I can't believe I just left her. What if she cries?"

Rachel reaches over the console and strokes the back of Quinn's hand. She knows how hard this is for Quinn, having to be without Sarah. How she probably still feels guilty for leaving to go film last year. She needs to reassure her that she is doing the right thing now and this is what's best for Sarah.

"Quinn, she's going to be okay. She is a very precocious child, albeit a little timid at times, but she is very strong as well. Just like you. You are a wonderful mom and you being all torn up about this is perfectly normal."

"I feel like she's growing up so fast, I was just breast-feeding her not too long ago, you know."

Rachel can feel herself redden as she tries not to think about Quinn's breasts, especially with the context of their conversation.

"Can you keep your mind out of the gutter for once? I'm having a breakdown here." Quinn shakes her head as she surveys the look on her girlfriend's face.

"Sorry, but you said it. I cannot control where my brain goes when you mention your breasts."

"Seriously?" Quinn laughs a little at Rachel's honesty, she cannot help where her own mind is going now.

"Look, I'm just trying to take your mind off of things."

"Well I guess it's working since I'm thinking about your breasts now."

"Oh really?" Rachel replies with a smirk.

"Yeah. How long do you have before you go back to work?"

"God Quinn, like thirty minutes. I don't think we have enough time-"

"Pull into that alley over there."

"What? What if someone sees us?"

"They won't, just, do it."

Rachel does as Quinn tells her and pulls into an alley between two shopping centers. The minute she puts her car in park, Quinn rips off her seat belt and hops into the backseat. Rachel follows after her.

Quinn pulls down Rachel's panties, thankful that she's wearing a skirt, and dives right in. She feels Rachel scrunching up her dress and she leans back and pulls her underwear down before settling back on top of Rachel.

They don't have much time, so Rachel sticks two fingers into Quinn's mouth, allowing her to suck on them. When they get wet enough, she takes them and plunges deeply into Quinn. The sound Quinn makes in her ear causes a gush of wetness to erupt from her core.

Quinn's jaw goes slack as she awkwardly rides Rachel's hand in the confining backseat. She comes to her senses after a few minutes and returns the favor, inserting two fingers into Rachel's dripping wet center.

"…So wet, baby, mmm." Quinn moans.

They both rock with each other the best they can in such an uncomfortable position. Their quick ministrations lead them both towards their peaks and they come apart back to back before Quinn collapses on top of Rachel.

"God, that was…oh, it's time for me to go. Drive me?"

Quinn takes a deep breath before kissing Rachel's lips and then climbing into the driver's seat. She drops Rachel off at work and makes it home around 1p.m.

That leaves her with the rest of the day to do basically nothing, alone in her huge empty house, again.

The next few weeks went by almost identically with Rachel off at work all day and Sarah at school from twelve to four.

Quinn has gone through lying in bed, napping the time away until she has to pick up Sarah, to calling up some of her friends to see if they had time to go to the spa with her during the day. They don't though, it seems everyone else has something to do besides her.

She tries reading, cleaning and even shopping, but she hates getting papped every time she goes out. Quinn starts thinking about her promise to not film again until Sarah started school. She picks up the phone to dial Tammy's office.

"GS Management,"

"Hi, Tammy Nolan please, this is Quinn Fabray."

There is a pause on the line.

"Quinn? It's um, me, April."

Quinn can feel her heart rate speed up, she can barely think of words to say. Why didn't she remember to call Tammy's direct line?

"Oh, hi April. H-how have you been?" Quinn face-palms, she should have never listened to Tim and gone out with her. She works at her manager's office for Christ's sake!

"I've been…good. Um, I'll put you through now."

"Okay, thanks."

That could not have been any more awkward. She has to thank God for Rachel returning to her life because she cannot see herself dating anyone else, ever again.

"Quinn, sweetheart, how are you?"

"I-I'm good."

"Really? Doesn't sound like it. I recall that you have your premiere coming up, is that why you're calling?"

"Not really, I'm looking again. But I want something local this time."

"Okay, well let's see. You broke out with the thriller and now you have this upcoming romantic drama, so I think maybe you should step it up a little and go with an action movie. What do you think?"

"Gosh, I don't know, I always wanted to do a dark comedy or something…"

"Alright, well I'll get something together for you, so you can come in soon and we'll talk, okay?"

Quinn hangs up with Tammy feeling hopeful and excited for what's to come. All thoughts about going back to work leave her mind at the sound of Rachel singing as she comes in through the front door.

The minute Rachel sees Quinn enter the foyer, she skips over to her and jumps into her waiting arms.

"Oh, I've missed you today." Rachel exhales. She spent the entire morning in the studio and when she was done, the set wasn't finished, so she got the rest of the day off.

"I missed you too. What are you doing home so early?"

"Set problems. This means I'm done for the day." Rachel answers in a sing-song manner.

Rachel watches as Quinn pulls out her phone and begins typing away.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm texting Tim, asking him to pick up Sarah from school today."

Rachel's eyes go wide, she knows exactly what Quinn is doing. She takes her hand and drags her upstairs. They haven't had any time alone for a while and even when they did have sex, it was always rushed. For the rest of the day, they will finally be able to relax and enjoy each other fully.

She takes a firm grasp of Quinn's ass and squeezes as she walks her towards the bed. She presses their lips together in a feverish attempt to get as much of Quinn as possible.

Quinn pulls back as Rachel sucks hard on her bottom lip. "Hey, hold on. Slow down. We have all night, baby."

"Sorry, but it's been a little while."

"It's okay, I just want to take this chance to reconnect, you know."

"Sure. What do you have in mind?" Rachel asks with raised eyebrows.

"Wait a sec." Quinn walks over to the side table and turns on the stereo, she queues up their regular sexy playlist. Then, she turns to Rachel and begins stripping herself of all clothing.

Rachel stands stock still at first, watching Quinn undress for her. She follows suit quickly after though.

"Get on the bed." Quinn commands and Rachel promptly obeys.

She leans down, grabs the bottle of massage oil from underneath the side table, and sits it on top.

"Are you giving me a massage?" Rachel asks excitedly.

"Sort of. Now, lie on your stomach." Quinn orders before joining Rachel on the bed. They both gasp softly at the contact of their bare skin for the first time in a long time.

Quinn moves to the side to capture Rachel's lips once again. She is overcome by the sweet scent of jasmine and vanilla as she lets her right hand glide lightly over the bare skin of Rachel's back. Then she reaches over to get some oil and rubs it between her hands before straddling her waist and smoothing it all over her skin.

Quinn's hands are warm, kneading and infusing her muscles with searing heat. Rachel moans openly as Quinn allows her center to touch the small of her back as she continues her ministrations. She whimpers after Quinn lifts up and off of her, but then she is back to releasing high-pitched cries of ecstasy when she begins kissing her way down her spine.

She coaxes Rachel to turn over and then they come together, kissing deeper and more purposefully than before. Quinn falls between Rachel's thighs, kissing down her cheeks, her jaw, and her neck. She sucks lightly, nipping, and brushing her lips across the silky skin there, alternating sides until moving further south.

Rachel is trembling by the time Quinn finishes kissing her way down her stomach and across her hips. She allows herself to freely express her pleasure vocally as Quinn approaches her center.

"God, Quinn…please," she begs.

Quinn doesn't hide her smirk as she takes Rachel's thighs and spreads them wide, she is immediately greeted with the scent of her arousal and it's sends a quiver throughout her body. As much as she wants to dive right in, she remembers that they have _hours_, so she holds off.

She massages her legs from the bottom up, stopping short just as her fingers reach Rachel's outer lips. Rachel breathes more and more raggedly each time she does it. It isn't until she can feel her shivering that she gives in a little and finally lets her fingers grace the tender flesh between her legs.

Rachel releases a loud moan as her head slams backwards onto the pillow and Quinn pauses her movements.

"Rachel, look at me, t-take a deep breath, okay." Quinn stammers out huskily.

Rachel forces herself to sit up, open her eyes and look down, making eye contact with Quinn. She does as Quinn says and takes in a few long deep breaths, allowing herself to relax, so as to hold off her climax.

After Rachel is visibly more relaxed, Quinn returns to rubbing soothing circles in her thighs before sliding her hands back to her center. She continues taking her time building up Rachel's arousal by massaging and lightly dipping her tongue between her folds, taking in the sweet nectar.

Quinn has drawn this out so long, Rachel has gone quiet, completely immersed in pleasure and tranquility. She can feel Rachel's leg muscles tensing as she sucks on her clit, forgoing any penetration this go round. They hold eye contact until Rachel's head slams back down on the pillow and with a loud cry she comes, and Quinn helps her ride it out slowly.

"That was…God, I feel like a noodle."

Quinn laughs as she crawls her way up to lie next to her girlfriend, sweaty and exhausted, but she has never looked more beautiful. She runs her hands through her silky chestnut locks, nuzzling the side of Rachel's head, inhaling that sweet scent.

Rachel wills herself to turn onto her side to connect lips with Quinn yet again. She sucks lightly at each her top and bottom lips. Her hand rests at Quinn's nape, toying with the fine hairs at the back of her neck. She makes her way down to her neck, kissing gently before reaching up and nibbling at her earlobe.

"You can rest a little if you want, there's no rush." Quinn offered.

"You would think that you'd know by now how resilient I am. Let me…"

She shifts downward and captures one of Quinn's nipples into her mouth, sucking and swiping her tongue across the stiffening peak. Quinn immediately begins panting heavily, arching her back and allowing Rachel a better angle. She hooks her arms underneath Quinn's digging her nails into her shoulder blades as she switches sides.

She makes her way down further, dragging her lips across taut abs, as she presses her hands into the small of Quinn's back. Her hands slide down to Quinn's ass and she rubs smooth circles in her flesh eliciting a strangled moan from Quinn.

She turns them so that Quinn is on her back and she settles between her legs. She is met with Quinn's glistening wetness and she practically growls as she looks up into dilated hazel eyes. She holds that contact as she dips her tongue between Quinn's satiny folds. Her eyes roll back into her head as she swipes down further into the wetness, lapping up the juices she finds and carrying it back up with her to suckle at Quinn's clit.

"Oh God, Rachel!" Quinn whined loudly. She knows that she is close and Rachel couldn't care less.

Her hands grip tightly into those chestnut locks as she presses Rachel's face deeper into her sex as she rides her tongue. She moans loudly, as she feels that pull, she is coming apart.

Rachel continues moving her dexterous tongue over Quinn's throbbing clit until she feels the clenching of her thighs, and then she goes back to sucking gently to help her ride out her orgasm. She leans back on her knees and wipes the juices from her chin, licking the remnants off her fingers.

She drags herself back up to Quinn's side and they lie there breathing heavily for a few minutes.

"That was amazing, baby." Quinn expresses as she leans to her right and kisses Rachel's temple.

"You, were amazing." Rachel says as she rolls over and snuggles into Quinn's side.

Quinn reaches down and pulls the comforter up to cover them. She drapes her arm over Rachel's waist as she lets her drowsiness overcome her.

"I love you so much." Rachel whispers as she looks out the window, the sun is setting and she is seconds away from slumber.

Rachel's breath is hot on her neck and she cannot help the shiver it causes to flow throughout her entire body.

"I love you too Rachel." Quinn replies just as quietly.

They fall asleep together for a few hours before waking up and starting all over again.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: This is first part of the next to last chapter. I hope everyone enjoys, thank you to anyone still following this story. I appreciate you all.

* * *

PART I

The house is busy, tonight is the night of Quinn's movie premiere and they are both getting ready.

Andre is here along with Mark and Tracy for hair and makeup. Quinn is wearing a floor length dress by McQueen in blue with a darker blue lace overlay and Rachel is wearing a gown by Gucci in dark blue patterned velvet.

The two dresses are beautiful apart, but together they are a match made in heaven. They will both be wearing their diamond necklaces and they even go as far as matching their hairstyles and makeup palette to complement each other's.

Anyone who sees them together would know that these women were dressed to complement each other. There would be no question that they arrived together, even if they came in separate cars.

Bright flashes of light and screams from the crowd greet Quinn as she walks the red carpet. She first has to stop to take photographs as the men shout orders to her for different poses, she smiles the entire way through. Then Ashley guides her through to do some quick interviews. Her last interview is with Seacrest, hopefully he doesn't get too personal.

"Quinn Fabray! How are doing tonight? You look stunning, may I ask who you're wearing?"

"Thanks, I am wearing Alexander McQueen and the shoes are Prada."

"Well it looks amazing on you. So, the movie, we're at the premiere, it's your second major role, and you're a mom now. How are you handling all this?"

"I'm doing my best, I have a great team behind me and a wonderful family. I am truly blessed to be standing here tonight."

"There is a lot of buzz behind this film. The critics are foaming at the mouth over the infamous 'bedroom scene'."

"Wow, I did not know anything about that, but I'm happy they enjoyed it. It was pretty intense to shoot."

"Also, before you go, I want to ask, is there any truth to the rumor of you getting cozy with one of the directors on this film?"

Quinn knew this was too good to be true, he just had to throw in an offensive question about her love life. The fact that he is insinuating that she sleeps with all of her directors, makes her want to punch him.

"No, no truth at all. Unless getting cozy means friendly, then yes. We all became close during filming, especially when we went to Thailand."

"Okay, I'll take that. It was good seeing you again, have a great night."

"You too, bye." Quinn says before walking away.

Ashley guides her over to more photographers, "It's almost time to go inside,"

Quinn stops to pose before rushing over to the roaring crowd to sign a few things, shake some hands and take a couple of pictures, before Ashley comes and yanks her away. She wishes she could have stayed longer, these people are the reason she enjoys her job so much.

Rachel does her walk down the red carpet practically alone, since Ashley's intern is very little help. She stops shortly to take photographs and then she goes over to greet fans that were screaming her name. Her eyes snap up when she hears one fan shout out, "Faberry!" and a few of them start to freak out. She waves at them before leaving after someone else shows up behind her.

During the movie, Quinn winces whenever she sees herself onscreen. She cannot help but critique her every move and she hates that she can't go back and do things differently.

By the end of the film, Rachel is in tears, as is the person next to her. It was a beautiful film and Quinn was amazing. She really felt it in that bedroom scene, the anger and the pain, Quinn is better than she ever could have imagined.

As Rachel fixes her makeup in the ladies' room, she gets a text from Quinn.

'We're going over to Sunset Tower for the after party. A car is waiting for you.'

Rachel hurries up and gathers her dress before walking out, she hopes Ashley's intern had the brains to stay behind and wait for her.

Luckily, he had and she arrived at the hotel shortly after. The place is swarming with celebrities and Rachel finds herself star struck a few times as she meanders around, looking for Quinn.

"Hey!" Quinn shouts when she sees Rachel approaching. She gives her a cheek to cheek kiss, and then everyone else nearby follows suit. She introduces Rachel to a few of her friends, including some prominent players in the film world.

They both stand together as they hob knob with friends and possible future business associates. Plenty of people complimented them on their matching ensembles, classifying them as the best dressed couple of the night.

After a while, Rachel asks Quinn to accompany her to the bar so that they can spend some time alone. The bartender pours them both a fresh glass of champagne and they abandoned the ones that they were nursing before.

"You were really good, I was in tears."

"Rachel, thank you for being so nice, but I think you're a little biased."

"What? I know good acting when I see it, regardless of who I'm watching and you were great, Quinn."

Quinn feels warm, as if Rachel's words were the hug that she couldn't give her earlier. She knows that Rachel would not lie about how she felt over the movie, and the part about her acting feels good to hear even if she doesn't believe it herself.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt you guys but Quinn, you have to go do more interviews. They'll be really quick, and Rachel, I have one for you towards the end, okay? Come on, Quinn." Ashley basically orders, and Quinn has to go, leaving Rachel alone at the bar.

Rachel downs the rest of her champagne as she sits at the bar, when she sees that girl staring at her again. She has been watching them all night, she is the same one that came up to them at the Chateau last year. Her name starts with a K or something, Katie, or Kathy, she wonders what her problem is. Quinn never did tell her what her deal was with her. And now she's coming over.

"Hi, how are you? Rachel, is it?"

"Hello, I'm sorry I don't remember your name." Rachel says as politely as she can.

"It's okay, we've only met once. I'm Karen, but I know your name from TV, I love your show."

"Oh, thank you Karen." Rachel takes a sip out of Quinn's abandoned glass as she nervously waits for what Karen says next.

"So, you and Quinn are actually together? I have to admit that I was shocked to learn that you live with her."

Rachel does not know who this woman thinks she is. Since when is her living situation any of her business?

"Quinn and I have lived together even before we were together, so I don't get why that's a surprise for anyone."

"Well, it was to me, she never mentioned you once, the entire time we filmed together."

That was a low blow. Rachel frowns as she bores into the flute of champagne in front of her, she takes a deep breath before she ends up doing something stupid like tossing the drink on Karen and causing a scene.

"You know, it's funny now, I just kept hitting on her over and over and she kept turning me down. Now I know why. I just hope you're treating her right, she deserves the best. She's the sweetest person deep down and she taught me a lot, anyway, I'd better go. It was nice to finally talk to you."

Rachel turns to watch her walk away, what type of crazy mind games is that bitch playing? She downs the rest of Quinn's drink and leaves the bar. She tries looking for Quinn but then she gets caught up in a group with some familiar faces. They are all drunk or at least tipsy and they talk over each other, Rachel doesn't even know what about.

After the last interview near the exit, Ashley informs her that the car is on its way for her outside and that there are fans out there as well. Ashley goes back into the party to find Rachel to conduct her interview.

More lights flash as soon as Quinn gets outside, and then there are fans lined up against barricades waiting for her.

"Quinn! Quinn! Oh my God!" They scream at her and she goes through signing anything that they shove in front of her.

She signs and takes pictures with anyone that asks. Some of them ask her questions and she answers them. The car pulls up and Quinn pulls out her phone and texts Rachel to come out so that they can get home.

The crowd starts to scream, and Quinn turns around to watch as Rachel is surprised to see them out there.

"Do you guys even know who I am?" Rachel jokes with them. They all scream 'Yes!' in response and she's kind of surprised by all of the stuff from her show that they have for her to sign. They must have been expecting her to come to Quinn's premiere.

One boy asks, "Are you two best friends?"

Both Rachel and Quinn smirk at each other and then they begin to nod.

"Yes, we are." Rachel says.

"Sorry, but we have to go, we've kept our car waiting too long already. Thank you guys for coming out, and go see the movie on Friday okay? Bye now." Quinn says before dragging Rachel away. They both continue to smile and wave as they leave.

"How much do you want to bet that those kids' parents have no idea why they're screaming for pictures of us together?" Rachel asks after they get into the car.

"I don't know, I think the adults were the ones that were screaming the most, really." Quinn theorizes.

They both laugh, but the fact is, their most loyal and dedicated fans that stood outside for hours tonight, are mostly fans of them being in a relationship together.

"Well that's uplifting. I'm glad that we have fans of all ages."

They help each other out of their dresses when they get home. Rachel goes to hang them up as Quinn calls to check in on Sarah. This is the first time Tim is keeping Sarah over at Jason's house and she wants to call and wish her a good night.

"So," Rachel begins as she carefully walks back into the room. "I had a little talk with your old friend Karen tonight."

"What? What did she say to you?"

"Nothing much, she was just being a little bitchy. She told me she was making sure that I was treating you right."

"Where does she get off…I'm going to _kill_ her. I want you to stay away from her if you ever see her again, she is nuts."

"That she is. Anyway, how was my angel?"

"She was asleep already. And I am beat myself, let's go to bed."

Quinn throws back the blanket, allowing Rachel to get in first before she gets on top and straddles her.

Rachel's hands slide up smooth thighs as she looks up at the slightly fuzzy vision above her. She downed quite a bit of champagne tonight and she's still a little tipsy.

"I thought we were going to bed,"

"We are," Quinn says playfully as she reaches behind and unclasps her bra, casting it aside.

Rachel cups her breasts, causing Quinn to ride her lap. She grinds down even harder when Rachel begins to tweak her stiff nipples between her fingertips.

After a couple of minutes, Quinn leans down with parted lips to capture Rachel's in a slow yet sloppy kiss. They have both been drinking tonight and things are getting a little clumsy.

Quinn is on a high from all of the positive reactions to her performance tonight. So she takes the lead tonight by helping Rachel out of her undergarments before they begin. She takes things slow though, being attentive to her and receiving the same treatment back.

All of this work leaves them less time to be intimate these days, and they always try to make up for that whenever they're together.

The next morning, they wake up around 9a.m. and they wash up before heading downstairs to start breakfast.

Rachel yawns as she looks in the fridge for something to cook.

"So, what do you want for breakfast, babe?"

"Whatever you want to fix is fine Rach."

"So, oatmeal is fine with you?"

Quinn turns to her with a frown.

"See? That's why I asked."

Before Quinn can reply, the intercom buzzes.

"It's probably Tim bringing back Sarah, I'll get it." Quinn presses the button let him in without even looking at the camera.

There is a rapid knock at the door, which is funny because Timothy has a key. Quinn goes over and looks out to see Ashley on their doorstep.

"Quinn, why the hell haven't you two been answering my calls?"

"Why? What's up?"

"I should be asking you guys that question, where's Rachel?"

"In the kitchen, what is going on?"

"Look the shit you pulled last night caught the attention of all the wrong people. The tabloids ran stories supposedly calling it your unofficial 'coming out' as you two left together. There's going to be an emergency meeting with a few execs from Viacorp because of it."

"What the hell does Viacorp have to do with this? These things usually just die down in a few days like always." Rachel says as she comes out of the kitchen, wiping her hands with a towel.

"Well the difference with this time is that Hollywood Life's website ran a story on it as well, and you know that Viacorp owns that magazine. Whoever is responsible for the story was fired this morning, this isn't a small issue girls. We have some serious retracting to participate in."

"How the hell are we supposed to do that? I am not lying to the press." Rachel crosses her arms over her chest. Quinn looks as if she needs to lie down.

Thirty minutes later, they both find themselves walking through the back entrance of the Viacorp building. A man leads them along with Ashley to an elevator that goes up to the 25th floor.

"Hello, Quinn, and this must be Rachel Berry, hello. I'm Stacy and this is John, we are in charge of public relations here at Viacorp. Well take a seat, we'll go over a few things."

Rachel rolls her eyes, this is what they do when you mess up, she and Quinn didn't even do anything. She looks over to Quinn, who is reading over the stack of papers that they handed them. It makes her worry about how many times she has been through this. It has to affect you at some point, but Rachel is affected right now.

"Okay, so I hear from Mrs. Tammy Nolan that you are thinking about filming again soon Quinn?"

"Yes that is correct."

"Alright, and I see that you'll be going to Europe soon to premiere your movie which is great by the way, in Paris and London."

"Thanks, that is also correct."

"So you are gold. Now Rachel, you are a rising star, and you have taken the spotlight on your show. You have the biggest fanbase of young girls, and we want to keep those fans after your time on the show. So, what we're going to do is have you help create an image of a cute young couple starting out their careers together. How does that sound?"

"It sounds…a little contrived really."

"Rachel,"

"Okay, I get it, I do. You think that it's wrong or immoral, but you have to think about the bigger picture here. This is a company that thrives on the viewership and money spent by fans. It is a harsh reality, but lgbt people are a minority and it is less likely for you to remain appealing to everyone when you are pigeonholed as unattainable to men."

"That doesn't make any sense, straight people play gay all the time, this would only be the other way around."

"Exactly, can you bring in Derek please." Stacy says and John leaves out only to come back with Derek in tow.

Rachel face palms, she did not mean it that way. She wanted to bring up the point that if straight actors can play gay whenever they want, why can't she play straight and have people believe it, because they will, whenever she wants.

And then Derek, really? She should have seen this coming the minute they brought him on vacation with them.

Quinn can see the strain on Rachel's face, she has been working so hard for this show and now they want to fatten up the load on her shoulders. She tried to tell her, the more successful you are, the more they pay attention to everything you do.

Derek walks in with that guy John and gives Quinn a giant smile and a wave, she sees his smile falter when he finds out that he's going to be Rachel's 'boyfriend' instead. He smiles at her anyway, and Rachel completely ignores him.

After the meeting, they make their way to the car out of the back exit.

"You never told me that you were doing another movie Quinn."

"Yeah, I know, I didn't think about it. I would have told you when I actually had a movie to film okay. It was just a business meeting last month, nothing definite."

"Okay, but I don't know about this whole bearding thing. It just feels icky."

"Rachel, it will be alright. Trust me."

"Really, because I just feel like I can't be myself anymore and I don't like it."

"You can always be yourself with me and with our friends, everyone who loves you. Just look at this as an extension of work. You're just doing a job, and part of your job is to follow rules you may not agree with to continue to do work in this industry."

"I understand, but that guy has another thing coming if he thinks he's going to get to touch me when he wants to."

Quinn laughs a little, because it takes some of the pain away.

Rachel is at work, and Quinn is on her way to meet her for lunch after dropping off Sarah at school. Her phone starts to ring as soon as she pulls off, she pushes the speaker phone button.

"Hey, Quinn, can you come and pick me up? I'm outside of Jason's and-he kicked me out."

"What? Tim what's going on? What happened?"

"I'll tell you later, just…can you get here?"

"Sure," Quinn makes a u-turn and tries to remember the way to Jason's house in West Hollywood.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: This is actually the second part to the last chapter, the final chapter will be posted in a few days.

* * *

PART II

"So we were at a party this weekend, and a friend of mine came over to us. Mind you, this party was well underway and everyone was pretty plastered. So the guy called Jason by someone else's name, and to make things worse, it was one of my exes names and he thought he was the same guy."

"Oh my God."

"Jason stood there and listened to this asshole talk to him as if he knew him when they had never even met before. I tried to tell him that the guy was drunk out of his mind but he wouldn't listen. I told him that I've been faithful and he wouldn't believe me. He said he had heard rumors about me before and he had refused to listen to them, but now he doesn't know what to believe."

"That's horrible. But you have to give it time, he'll come around, he's just embarrassed probably."

"I don't know, I can't believe that I'm homeless now. I guess I better start looking soon, I'll probably have to move back in with my mom until,"

"Tim, you know just as much as I do that this is your house too. No matter what that contract says."

"Oh, no, Quinn I don't want to disturb you and Rachel's routine."

"Nonsense, you are my best friend- well, my best male friend, and I refuse to let you go back to your mother's. You're staying here, and that's that."

Tim cracks her a sad smile as he pulls her into a long hug. "Thank you Quinn, I love you so much." He starts to cry and Quinn squeezes him harder.

"I love you too sweetie. Have you eaten? Do you want me to fix your favorite?"

She gets no answer.

The clatter of the cameras makes Rachel nervous, there are way too many of them and they are really close to her. She can't see and she grabs onto Derek's arm as they make their way to his car. This is the initial outing that will start the rumor mill about them dating, they walked around a few shops buying some random stuff and coming out of the shopping center together.

Rachel gets home that night to tell Quinn all about it.

"How's Tim doing?" She asks.

"He…I've seen him better. How was your first date?" Quinn jokes.

"It was so awkward, I couldn't even look at him. I only said hello and goodbye to him."

"That's it? Oh my God, that is hilarious." Quinn laughs and Rachel growls at her before tackling her down onto the bed.

Ashley comes by the next morning with a men's Henley similar to one of Derek's, for Rachel to wear to set today. At lunch, she gets photographed in it and sure enough, it works. The press go wild, all reporting that it's official, Rachel and Derek are together. The evidence is all there, they went on vacation with friends together, they go shopping together and now she's wearing his clothes.

The rest of the week goes smoothly for her now that she is able to focus on work, officially squashing the reports about her and Quinn. She cannot help but think about those kids out there in the cold that night. She wouldn't take back that moment if she could, even if it meant this. She knows that at the end of the day, it was worth it.

Tim has spiraled deeper into depression after a few over the phone arguments with Jason. Quinn has become his mother, his babysitter and his maid all over the course of a week. She has to help him get dressed, force him to eat, clean up his messes and try to talk him out of this. She hopes he gets a grip soon because it has gotten to the point where she had to tell Sarah that her daddy is sick and that's why he's still in bed.

Quinn knows that this is taking a toll on her own mood. She never gets to spend any quality time with Rachel since she comes in later than usual. They are filming the Christmas episode and Rachel gets most of the songs, which means more work for her. She doesn't know how many times she's been woken up to massage Rachel's legs or her back recently, Quinn hopes she can take a break soon.

Ashley calls Rachel at work in the morning to tell her that she needs to have an actual date-like meeting with Derek to keep it up. It has been a week since shirt-gate, so she has to meet him at some cafe after work tonight.

"Hey," She plasters on a kind smile as she meets him at the counter.

"Rachel, hi, how've you been?" Derek smiles brightly at her. He turns back to the counter as he awaits her answer, not expecting one.

"Things...have _been_ good."

"So, what? They're not now?"

"I'm here with you, so...you tell me."

"I'm not that bad am I?"

"Do you want an honest answer?"

"I was joking, but I'm kind of afraid of the answer. Partly because I'm still a little afraid of you."

"Afraid of me?" Rachel is surprised to hear that, then it dawns on her, she had completely blanked about their little incident in Hawaii. "...oh, I'm sorry I had forgotten all about that."

"No biggie, come on let's sit over here." He says making his way towards a table by the window.

She follows along, now feeling slightly guilty for being so snippy with him tonight.

The waitress brings over their coffee and sweets with a huge smile on her face. Rachel thinks for a second that she may recognize her, but she doesn't dwell on it. She's here to do a job without drawing too much attention to herself.

They sit in silence as they sip at their coffee, while picking at their cafe confections.

Derek leans forward and whispers, "You know I actually had tears, tears, welling up in my eyes when you hit me. I liken it to a hit between the legs, except just to my arm as far as pain goes."

Rachel is surprised by his admittance. The look on his face tells her that he's serious, yet he finds some humor in it.

"Really? But I'm tiny!"

"I know, but you pack a mean punch." He says giving her a demonstration in his own hands.

"That is-I am really sorry again about my behavior." She tries to contain her giggles.

"No way, you know, when I think about it now, it's just adorable, you were so pissed." He laughs.

They are both in a fit of laughter together when the flashing lights of cameras illuminate the once dim cafe. They both turn in surprise when they are caught off guard, and Rachel already knows what they'll write about that.

So, date #2 with Derek went by without anyone losing a limb, and Rachel counts it as a success. She makes it home a little later than she had planned, so she slips out of her shoes downstairs before tiptoeing up to their bedroom. She gets a shock when she sees Quinn sleeping in bed, with someone else.

She squints in the dark to see just who it is that Quinn is spooning like that. Her stomach feels queasy when she takes in the way they are huddled together like that. The person is way too big to be Sarah, so she flicks on the closet light to find that it's only Tim.

Rachel breathes as sigh of relief, she knows that Quinn would never betray her, but the way that looked was very worrying. She has to be up in five hours, so she decides not to wake them. She goes into her old room and sleeps in there for the first time in over a year. It's eerily quiet and cold in there, she hasn't slept alone in months.

"Rachel, why didn't you come to bed last night? You could have kicked Tim out, he would have gotten up."

"No, I was only going to be sleeping for five hours, I didn't want to disturb you so many times."

"I'm sorry baby, he was just so down yesterday, he'd been crying and all I knew to do was to hold him. I've never seen him like this, I'm starting to get worried, he's losing weight,"

"Maybe, he needs to talk to someone,"

"I tried to get him to go last week and he said no. He hasn't left the house since he got here."

"God, I don't know then, I just hate that you've been saddled with all of this stress. We barely see each other baby, and last night just- I don't ever want to sleep alone again."

"I understand, I just don't know how to fix this. I want everything to be okay, but nothing's changing. I'm afraid of what will happen when I go to Europe, will Tim be okay for that long? Ashley said she'd help out with Sarah, but I'm sorry, you are going to have to sleep alone for a few nights babe."

"Oh man, I completely forgot about that. When do you leave?"

"The day after our anniversary."

"God, it has been a whole year hasn't it?"

"Yes, and we don't have to do anything special, just you and me, dinner, and a night in, okay."

"That sounds wonderful! Oh, I have to go, I love you,"

"Love you too, bye."

Since they had been told to lay low, spending time together has been a rare occurrence. Their relationship has been reduced to phone calls for quality time, and holding each other at night.

Meanwhile, the new 'it couple' Rachel and Derek are out everywhere. Rachel has gained so many new endorsements, she just filmed a new commercial for a prominent makeup brand and she now gets free clothes and shoes from the top designers in fashion. She and Derek have been invited to many parties and premieres just to stand and pose for pictures together.

It had all been a pleasantly stressful time for Rachel, until she gets a call from Ashley.

"Hey, so I know you wanted to have tonight clear for your anniversary with Quinn,"

"Yes-"

"Well, I'm really sorry, but I thought that Derek's show premiere was tomorrow but it's actually tonight."

"What? No way, I'm not going to miss my anniversary for that!"

"Rachel, I already talked to Quinn, I've sent Andre over with some outfits so that you can leave from work, okay. Again, I'm really sorry."

Rachel wants to scream, it seems as if the world is trying to keep her and Quinn apart.

The screams of the fans outside at the premiere are the loudest the minute they see Rachel. She signs as many autographs as she can before going back to Derek's side for more photos.

Quinn has dinner ready and then she goes upstairs to get ready. Tim wouldn't leave his room, so she had to drop Sarah off for a long overdue visit with her grandma. She hopes that he doesn't put a damper on their evening.

As soon as she puts on her earrings, her phone rings.

"Ashley what's up?"

She cannot believe her ears when Ashley explains to her just what happened. She takes full responsibility, and says it was an oversight on her part due to the increased schedule from all of Rachel's endorsements. Quinn knows that Ashley wouldn't do something like this on purpose, but it doesn't make it hurt any less. This is their one-year anniversary, and she just wanted to have dinner with her girlfriend. Is that too much to ask?

Quinn is asleep on the couch when Rachel gets in. She almost cries when she sees that she had gotten dressed up already and she looks beautiful. She bends down and gives her a kiss to wake her up.

"I'm so sorry baby," Rachel whispers.

Quinn knows that it wasn't Rachel's fault, but she feels as if she's been stood up. She feels foolish for thinking that they could have this one night.

"What has happened to us Quinn? This isn't right."

"I know what happened, you've become a workaholic and it's partially my fault for encouraging the bearding, and I've become a babysitter for my now live-in ex-husband and between all that and taking care of Sarah, we have no time for each other and I really wish that I knew how to fix this, but I just...don't. And I know that you're sorry because I'm sorry too." Her voice breaks at the end, and she breathes deeply as she runs a hand through her hair.

Rachel lets out a shuddery breath, she is taken aback by Quinn's confession. Everything she said was true though.

"God Quinn, this is bad."

"I know, but we'll be okay."

"Will we?"

"One day." Quinn stomps her way up the stairs, stripping off her clothes and going to bed.

Rachel gets in behind her, feeling unnerved by their disconnection lately. They've been on two completely different schedules and this is going on the fourth day they haven't had sex. Ever since she saw Quinn in bed spooning Tim, paired with her heavy workload, she hasn't really been in the mood.

The fact that she is getting up tomorrow and going to Europe for a couple of weeks, Quinn tries to get back some of their closeness. She grabs Rachel's hand and drapes it over her waist, urging her to hold her. Rachel sniffles as she moves closer and grips into her tightly.

"Goodnight Quinn." She says wearily.

"Goodnight Rachel." Quinn replies just the same.


	24. Chapter 24

Quinn is in a car on her way home from LAX alone. She leans her head against the cool glass as she watches buildings and trees go by in a blur. She cannot help but draw comparisons to the other times she would come back to have Rachel waiting for her, or the times they both returned from trips together.

Having a few weeks away from Rachel has had a different effect than when she went to Thailand. She had time to think things over for a few days while she was in London and she has come to the conclusion that something has to give.

They've spoken very little during her trip due to Rachel's hectic schedule and the time difference and she can't wait to see her and Sarah again. She hasn't talked to Tim either, she has to admit, it was nice to get away and not think about her troubles at home for a while. She wonders if he snapped out of his depression enough to find a place to go.

_A couple of weeks ago, _

_Rachel bursts into Tim's bedroom on her only day off for the week, she goes to the blinds and opens them up. The sun bleeds into the room, illuminating the filthy space. _

_"Ouch! Hey, I was sleeping Quinn." Tim grabs a pillow and covers his head with it._

_"It's not Quinn. Tim, get up. You have been lying around long enough, you need to clean this room, it stinks."_

_"What? Where's Quinn?"_

_"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're gone by the time she gets back. Have you been looking for a house lately?"_

_"Huh, no."_

_"Well, I guess that's next on the list after you shower and clean up this mess. You really reek."_

_"Bu- Why are you being so mean? Can't you see I'm in pain? I need time. Where's Quinn? I need her to make me my favorite."_

_"No, no more using Quinn as your own personal lackey, Tim! She's gone, so you need to get up off of your behind and make your own damn food from now on!"_

_"I thought we were friends Rachel, why are you treating me this way?"_

_"Tim, I am your friend. That's why I'm giving you the tough love that you need right now. Quinn loves you and I get why she has allowed this at first, but now she doesn't know what to do to get you back on track. And that, is where I come in to get you up and moving. So up, up, up!" _

_"Alright I'm going. I'm going." Tim narrows his eyes at her as he starts to pick up his trash._

_Rachel watches as he cleans up and then he goes to take a shower. She dusts off her hands to signify a job well done. Hopefully he'll be gone by the time Quinn gets back._

Quinn walks into her seemingly empty house, she looks around before going upstairs to her bedroom and dropping her bags on the floor. She sits on her bed and calls Ashley, she tells her that she'll be bringing Sarah home in a few minutes. She smiles as she waits to see her baby after these past few weeks, it had been hard to call her every night to wish her sweet dreams because it was always so early in the morning in London time.

Then she remembers, Tim. She surely hopes he is okay now. She hops up from her bed and makes a swift march towards his bedroom door. She twists the handle slowly, pausing to take a deep breath first, and then she pushes the door open. The room is clean, and empty. She breathes a sigh of relief knowing that he finally came to his senses. Whatever it was that got him to get up is considered a godsend in Quinn's book. She closes the door back and pads her way downstairs.

The intercom buzzes as soon as her feet hit the bottom of the stairs and she rushes over to let them in. She opens the door as soon as she sees Ashley's car pull up.

"Hey baby, how is my favorite girl? Did you have a good thanksgiving?" She wraps her arms around her daughter, kissing her cheeks all over.

"Yeah, mommy, and Ashley let me eat candy and then Kimmy and Jamie painted my nails. We had Turkey! And I liked It! Then, then we played um," Sarah looks up at Ashley for the name of the game she had never played before.

"It was called 'cross the sea' and this little one was a champ. She had most of the older kids beat."

"Really? Good job, baby. I'm glad you had fun while mommy was away. Come on let's go inside."

They sit in the living room catching up with everything Quinn missed when she was gone. Ashley tells her she took Sarah to a photo shoot that Rachel did last week and she had a blast. She finds out that Tim had to take Sarah when she had to go with Rachel on a busy commercial set this past weekend.

Apparently, Tim has gotten his act together and he has a new house, a modest two bedroom in Beverly Hills. Sarah tells her that he let her help decorate her own room and it is all Princess themed. When Sarah goes upstairs to her 'old room', Quinn turns to Ashley and asks about Rachel.

"We barely talked while I was away, don't you think she's been working a little much? I mean, outside of the show, you know."

"I- get what you mean but, Rachel is a little firecracker, she lets me know when she needs a break. She hasn't wanted a break lately because she told me that it keeps her occupied so that she doesn't dwell on missing you."

"She said that?"

"Yeah, she told me about the strain that all of this has put on you guys' relationship. I actually said this to her, and I'll say this to you as well, I am sorry about my part in this. I've told you both things in order to get you to go with the flow just to get the job done, but we're friends and I hate lying to you. From now on, I promise that I'll be honest and I even hired a new intern so that my workload is lighter now, and my schedule is on point, so…"

"Wow, thanks I guess? So, does this mean I will get to see my girlfriend more often?"

"I'll see what I can do, because you and Rachel together are perfection. No matter what I thought this was at first, you've proven that what you have is true love. You two are those types of people that are so self-sufficient that together you make a power couple. This is nothing but a rough patch and that's normal, you should be worried if everything was fine all the time, it wouldn't be realistic."

"You're saying that us drifting apart like this is normal? It doesn't feel that way. I love her so much and I just want to rewind this year to January or something and start over." Quinn knows what she has to do, she just doesn't know how or when to do it.

_This past weekend,_

_Rachel sits down in her chair as Mark and Tracy do their touchups to her hair and makeup. She takes out her phone to check her text messages, there is one from Quinn. She opens it and reads it over before calling Ashley over._

_"Have you talked to Quinn lately? She sent me a text last night saying she'll be back on Friday."_

_"Yeah, I talked to her last night when she called to tell Sarah goodnight as usual."_

_"Ashley, did she say anything to you?"_

_"Like what?"_

_"I don't know, how she's feeling? Every time we talk there's this awkwardness, you know? Do you think she wants to break up? Oh my God, what was that look? She wants to break up doesn't she?"_

_"No, Rachel, there was no look. Where is all this coming from? I thought you two were doing fine."_

_Rachel goes into detail about everything that had been going on in their relationship. From the stupid bearding that takes up too much of her time, to the issue of Tim before he moved into his own house. All of the things that slowly chipped away at their bond in just about two months. _

_Ashley apologizes to her about her doings and tells her that she'll be honest from now on since she won't have to bargain to get them to do things now. Ever since she hired that new intern, Rachel has noticed that things have been running more smoothly and there haven't been any double booking incidents anymore._

_"I hope things get better when she gets back, I love her and I don't want to lose her, not like this. We've been through too much just to let it all go."_

_"I understand, but you guys are gonna make it. If you don't, I will lose all hope in finding true love because you guys have that and I'd hate to see that happen."_

_"Me too," Rachel drifts off into thoughts about how good things have been this past year. She misses Quinn, her kiss, her touch, the way she looks in the morning, and all of their talks. She misses that part of their relationship where they could talk about anything because they were friends, and they still are, even though they've become a lot more than that._

Rachel presses the button on the visor in her recently purchased hybrid. She drives up the pathway to the house and parks her car in the garage. She sees Quinn's car is still there before walking through the door. She calls out for Quinn and doesn't receive an answer. She knows that Quinn got home today, she sent her a freaking text earlier telling her that she was back.

Now she is nowhere to be found, she checks upstairs and then down in the basement, no Quinn or Sarah anywhere. Then it hits her, the backyard. She walks out the sliding doors that lead to the yard and almost jumps out of her skin.

"Surprise!" Quinn, Sarah and Tim yell out when they see her.

Rachel is so startled that she collapses to the ground. She cannot believe that they would surprise her like this before her birthday. Quinn comes over and helps her up, pressing a light kiss to her lips.

"Happy Birthday, baby. I know it's early, but Ashley told me that you would be home early today and that you have the weekend off, so I threw this together for you."

"Quinn! I can't believe you, this is so unexpected." She throws her arms around Quinn's neck, kissing her again. "God, I missed you so much,"

"Come on," Quinn leads Rachel over to the table decorated in her favorite color, pink.

"Hey Tim," Rachel waves at him.

"You got me good little munchkin." She picks Sarah up and gives her a squeeze.

"Look, the cake, Rachel! Me and mommy got it for you!" Sarah tells her excitedly, Rachel can tell she is using restraint not to stick her little fingers into the icing.

"Thank you my sweet little angel princess. I love it," Rachel actually looks down at the pink cake with a giant gold star in the center. She feels tears start to prickle in her eyes as she reads her name in the center of the star. She turns to look at Quinn, this is the most thoughtful cake anyone has ever gotten her.

"Well, I thought that since you were going to get a real one in the future. I don't know, I just thought it'd be cute. Do you like it?"

Quinn gets her answer when Rachel launches herself at her. Wrapping her arms around Quinn's waist, she tilts her head back, reaching up to capture her lips. This time the kiss is more searing and meaningful. They pull apart when Tim clears his throat.

"Let's sing happy birthday!" Sarah squeals. They all sing Rachel a happy birthday and Sarah cheers when Rachel blows out her candles.

After they eat some cake, Quinn pulls Rachel aside.

"I have a surprise for you tonight. Before I left, everything seemed to be falling apart and I hate that our one year anniversary went that way, so we're going to go up to Sonoma and Tim is keeping Sarah for the weekend."

Rachel stands there with her mouth hanging open, she cannot believe this. She had no idea what to expect when Quinn returned but this, this is a dream come true. She is finding it hard to keep her hands off of her right now, she is so excited about this trip.

"So, what do you think?"

"Oh, my, God Quinn, I really need a vacation honey. You have no idea how much I need this, thank you."

Rachel grabs Quinn's face and gives her a quick peck.

"I need to go get packed. Eee!"

She goes inside and rushes upstairs to go pack her things for the trip. As she stuffs some of her clothes into her suitcase, something dawns on her. Quinn said that she had a surprise for her before she told her about the trip. The trip might not be the only surprise because she already told her about it.

Rachel remembers last year when Quinn came back from Thailand and gave her that diamond necklace. While she does find it thoughtful when Quinn purchases expensive gifts for her, little does she know, Rachel is far past wanting material things to make her happy. Just having Quinn as her woman, and rebuilding their relationship this weekend is enough for her.

"Ra-chel! The car is here! You've been getting ready for two hours. Come on." Quinn looks at her watch and then she hands over her bag to the driver. This weekend is planned almost to the minute, she just wants everything to go smoothly.

Rachel comes down with her last bag before setting the alarm system and locking the door behind her.

"Took you long enough." Quinn says as Rachel slides into the backseat next to her.

"You surprised me with this trip and I only had a few hours to prepare."

"Okay," Quinn signals for the driver to take off. "So, I have another surprise for you, we're going to be taking a private jet tonight. It would take us forever if we drove and I really didn't want to take another commercial flight."

"Wow, Quinn I have never been on a private jet in my entire life! You, are amazing. It's only my birthday, you're making me feel so special, I don't know what to say."

"You mean so much to me Rachel, you've been working so hard lately and I hardly ever see you anymore. I've missed you so much and I want to have a weekend for just the two of us to get back to how we were."

"Oh, I missed you too. Now I'm so excited Quinn, knowing you, there will probably be even more surprises when we get to Sonoma."

"Oh, well you'll just have to wait and see won't you."

"I have ways of making you spill your secrets Fabray. We're going to be on that plane for, what, like half an hour, plenty of time for me."

"Plenty of time for what?" Quinn asks with seductive look.

Rachel gives her a sultry look right back. "You're going to have to wait and see, Quinn."

The plane ride proved unsuccessful for Rachel finding out any clues about what Quinn has in store. She should have known she wouldn't get any answers with her mouth being occupied by Quinn's the entire flight.

They get to the Villa and driver helps them with their bags. They walk through the huge space in the foyer to the living room and then the beautiful kitchen. There is Italian marble all over and nice wooden trusses downstairs. They go upstairs to a master bedroom that has a fireplace and a California king-sized bed. Rachel makes a mental note of that.

"So, I have a lot planned for tomorrow and I want to get some rest tonight. And that means, no funny business, got it?"

Rachel pouts playfully as she throws herself onto the bed. Quinn can't help but smile as she climbs on the bed beside her. She reaches into her pocket to retrieve two tickets, she brings to Rachel's face and she grabs them out of her hand.

"What's this?"

"These are two tickets for an afternoon at Osmosis day spa. I booked it for us for Sunday. But first, tomorrow I thought we could go biking in the park. I was thinking that we could have a picnic before heading to the vineyard tour at Bosco winery."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. Who knew you could be so romantic?"

Quinn scoffs in mock offense.

"I'm just kidding Quinn, I always knew you were a big softy." She rolls towards Quinn, giving her another kiss before pulling back and just staring at her face. She missed waking up to this woman everyday before going to work.

"It's all your fault. You turned me this way, now it's spilling all over the place. Do you know I _didn't_ strangle Karen when I saw her? I couldn't believe it either."

Rachel giggles as she kicks off her shoes, she and Quinn both strip down before getting under the covers. They lay in silence after Quinn uses a remote to turn on the fireplace.

"Quinn, it is so beautiful here from what little I was able to see in the dark. I cannot wait to see more tomorrow."

"Yeah it really is, couldn't you just live out here?"

"Oh god I wish, I heard houses are pretty steep around here,"

Quinn raises her eyebrows at Rachel.

"Oh, I forgot that you could afford it, but I was actually talking about me."

Quinn smiles at her as she talks about the things that she loves about the Villa they are currently occupying. Soon, sleep overcomes them both and they drift off together on the plush bed.

They wake up around ten and Quinn prepares the picnic in her backpack. Quinn shows Rachel the rest of the house and then the garage, where the bikes are being stored. They put the bikes on the rack of the SUV that was already there and they make their way to the park. They ride their bikes up a steep hill to get to the top where they will have their picnic. Quinn feeds Rachel various fruits as they sit and take in the beautiful view over the cliff.

After the tiring bike ride, they go back to the Villa to shower. They almost miss the wagon because they got a little side tracked when they decided to shower together to save time. Whoever thought of putting a bench in a shower is a genius.

The guide takes them around the vineyard, they learn how they grow the grapes and the process of making wine. It all interests Quinn, she has thought about opening up her own winery or maybe buying into one someday. She watches as Rachel takes in the information in that little vault that she calls a brain. Rachel never forgets anything, and Quinn hopes that the memory of this weekend is her most pleasant one of all.

Quinn tells her that they have a reservation at a nice gourmet vegan restaurant at nine. They freshen up before heading out to the restaurant.

Rachel comes out of the bathroom to see Quinn standing there with a funny look on her face. She is wringing her hands together nervously, she wonders what's wrong.

"Quinn, what is the matter with you?"

"Huh, oh nothing. I was just waiting for you to get ready. It's almost time…to go. We need to be on time for our reservations, come on." Quinn helps her into her coat before leading her out the front door. She takes a deep breath of fresh air to calm herself before driving them to the restaurant.

It is a quaint little restaurant that Quinn had seen on a previous trip to Sonoma. She knew it would be perfect as soon as she found out that they served vegan food. They are seated at their table shortly upon arrival and Quinn orders them a glass of champagne to calm her nerves.

After she gets the glass, she is able to make small talk while they wait for their food. The food arrives and they both become distracted by their delicious looking food. They eat their food and continue to talk, Rachel notices that Quinn has been distracted ever since they got here.

As they finish up their meals, Quinn's face turns serious as she takes Rachel's hand. Rachel looks up at her in surprise.

"What's going on Quinn? You've been acting crazy all night."

Quinn smiles sweetly at her, "Rachel, I love you."

"I love you too Quinn." Rachel has no idea why Quinn just told her that. What is she doing?

"Ever since you came back into my life, things have changed for the greater good." Quinn takes a deep breath, she doesn't want to start crying so soon.

"I cannot stop thinking about you no matter what I'm doing. When I was in London, I had some time to reevaluate everything. I came to the conclusion that things needed to change, so I need to ask you something."

Quinn pauses as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a little box from Voltaire Diamonds.

Rachel begins to shake and she can hear her heart beating faster. This cannot be happening, and for Quinn to do this out in public. It's unbelievable.

Quinn opens the box with shaky hands to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring.

Rachel almost passes out.

"Will you marry me Rachel?" Quinn chokes out, the look of utter shock on Rachel's face has caused her to lose it.

Rachel can feel herself begin to nod as tears pour from her eyes.

"Yes! Yes, I'll marry you." She screams.

Quinn gets up and kneels down in front of her, placing the ring on her finger and sealing the deal with a kiss. A few of the patrons in the restaurant begin clapping and quietly congratulating and wishing them well.

They get back to the house and they head straight upstairs to the bedroom. Quinn pulls a bottle of Bollinger from the mini fridge with two flutes, handing one to Rachel.

"You know I normally don't drink this much, but this is a special occasion. Here you go." Quinn pours Rachel some champagne before filling her own glass.

Ever since Quinn proposed, Rachel has been slightly speechless. She watches Quinn from her spot on the bed as she runs downstairs to get something. She holds her left hand out in front of her and studies her ring. It is so beautiful and it looks custom made. The center diamond has to be about 20 carats, and it's surrounded by smaller ones that go around the entire band.

"Does it fit okay? We could get it sized. I used my pinky as a reference, so…" Quinn says as she goes into the en suite bathroom.

When Quinn returns to the room, Rachel jumps out of bed and grabs her by the shoulders and kisses her. They stumble backwards onto the huge bed. Rachel forces herself to part with Quinn's mouth to start removing her clothes.

"Quinn, your clothes, now." Rachel commands. The heat building up inside her as she thinks about the fact that they are engaged now, is too much for her. She needs Quinn inside her now.

Quinn obeys and begins removing her own clothing as well. "I thought we could have a bath first,"

Rachel pauses as she thinks it over, "Okay, let's go." She stops short in front of Quinn, who lets out a squeak when she collides with Rachel's backside.

"Oh my God, did you just do this?" Rachel must have been entranced by her ring, because she didn't even hear water running.

"Yes,"

Rachel takes in the atmosphere, there are candles lit around the whirlpool tub that has its own light show going on underneath the bubbles. There is a bowl of strawberries sitting next to the tub along with the bottle of champagne.

"You are going to make a good wife." Rachel finishes stripping down and then she lowers herself into the tub. "Oh, this feels so good, the water is the perfect temperature Quinn."

"I know," She watches Rachel as she watches her undress. "See something you like?"

"God yes, hurry up and get in here."

Quinn sinks into the water and makes her way over to Rachel, she grabs the bottle of champagne and refills both of their glasses. She gives Rachel a few pecks before raising her glass.

"To us," Quinn holds her glass out to clink it with Rachel's.

"Yeah, to us…forever."

"Forever," Quinn leans down and kisses Rachel's shoulder, she moves forward kissing up the side of her neck. She sets down her glass and takes Rachel's too, before getting out a strawberry from the bowl.

"I know these are your favorite berry, but you're my favorite Berry."

"Okay, you must be drunk, you're making cheesy jokes Quinn."

"I know, but seriously, this," she gestures between their bodies, "we have something that I know that I can't live without. I can't promise you perfection, or that we'll never fight, but I can promise you that I will continue to love you no matter what happens."

Rachel pushes off the wall and throws her arms around Quinn's neck, their bodies become flush as they kiss each other for the third time as fiancées.

"I love how you saved yourself, and I believe every word of that because I feel the same way. There is something that I know in my heart will always be there, that something that will keep us together for as long as we live." Rachel gazes deeply into Quinn's eyes, they are full of open affection as always.

"I can't believe I'm going to be your wife."

"I can't believe you said yes. I was petrified that you'd say no."

"What? Why would you think that?"

"I don't know, we hadn't really talked in almost a month, both off doing our own things. I thought you would probably say it's too soon or something, I don't know."

"You should know if it were up to me we would have eloped a long time ago."

"Really?"

"Yeah,"

Quinn smiles as she bites the top off a strawberry, puts it in her mouth, and kisses Rachel. She uses her tongue to absorb as much of the sweet flavor from Rachel's mouth. Her tongue sweeps across Rachel's back and forth gently, while pressing their lips together softly.

"Mmm, we should get out of here soon or we'll turn into raisins." Rachel says between kisses.

"Alright," Quinn's voice comes out in a raspy growl. She reaches over, grabs a couple of towels and hands one to Rachel.

They return to the room and get onto the king-sized bed in their towels. Once under the covers, Quinn removes hers and throws it to the floor. Rachel smiles and does the same. Quinn caresses Rachel's hair and tucks a loose strand behind her ear.

"You are so beautiful," Quinn whispers, as she unties Rachel's ponytail letting her hair loose.

She continues running her fingers through it as she moves to capture Rachel's lips with her own. The kiss is softer this time, with a series of small pecks as she lowers her head to kiss down Rachel's neck.

"I love kissing your neck."

"Hmm, I bet you do. Oh," Rachel squirms under Quinn as she continues down to her collarbones, sucking and nibbling on them.

Quinn turns and lets Rachel lie flat then she pulls the blanket back to expose Rachel's breasts. The exposure causes Rachel's nipples to stiffen and Quinn begins kissing the supple area around her left breast. She uses her hand to squeeze the right one as she brings her lips to suck on the left.

"Oh God, I missed your mouth," Rachel moans.

This reaction excites Quinn and she moves over to suckle at Rachel's right nipple, swirling her tongue, further inducing moans of pleasure from her fiancée.

"Yes, Quinn, do that again, oh!" Rachel pulls at her own hair as her back arches off the bed.

"You like that," Quinn purrs. Rachel nods in response before she swallows audibly.

Quinn backs off and begins to kiss her way down Rachel's taut stomach. She takes her time and kisses every inch of Rachel's stomach. She rubs her smooth tan skin in circles to calm her every time her abs clench. She takes her favorite position between Rachel's legs and begins kissing her inner thighs up each side starting from the bottom. She lightly blows at her center, causing her to release a hiss.

Feeling the air hit her wetness caused a deep wave of pleasure to flow through Rachel's body. She holds her breath the minute Quinn presses her lips around her clit. She forces herself to sit up and watch Quinn, she grabs her by the hair and pushes her in deeper. She rides her face, basking in the way Quinn's tongue feels as she laps up all of her juices after she comes.

Quinn finds herself on her back in one swift move by Rachel. She is stronger than she remembers. Rachel drags a hand down her body, and when she brings it back up, Quinn can see the wetness glistening on Rachel's fingers. She gasps as she watches Rachel lick her fingers clean.

"More, I'm gonna need more than that from you Quinn. I missed your taste." She disappears beneath the covers and goes searching for more with her tongue.

"Fuck!" Quinn screams out when Rachel does that little dance with her tongue that drives her insane.

Her head slams down onto the pillow when Rachel licks down to her entrance, reaching with her tongue to explore inside. A few strokes inside, and she lets go, coming in Rachel's mouth. She groans loudly when she sees Rachel reappear with a satisfied smirk as she wipes at her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Mmm, yeah, I think I made the right decision by you."

"Excuse me? Is that all I'm good for to you?"

"That, is a huge plus for me."

Rachel smiles and shakes her head as she crawls up next to Quinn. She cups her face as they connect with the taste of their love on their tongues.

After a few minutes, Quinn sits up and starts to search for a towel or something to cover herself with. She gives up and just gets out of bed naked.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Rachel asks as she watches her fiancée's ass bounce as she runs naked into the bathroom.

Quinn returns with the bowl of strawberries in hand. "I was thinking that we put these to good use."

"Ooh, okay." Rachel licks her lips in anticipation.

They spend a little while having fun with those strawberries and when there aren't any more, they are both tired out anyway.

"We should get some sleep, we have spa day tomorrow." Quinn reminds her.

"Quinn, it would seem that you only proposed for the sole purpose of showing off your fiancée tomorrow."

"You know me so well." Quinn frowns and then she grabs Rachel, squeezing her tightly.

She begins to giggle, she feels so happy. She is going to marry Quinn, her dreams are all coming true, and it has only been a year.

Osmosis has a beautiful Asian inspired atmosphere. Quinn goes to sign them in as Rachel peruses the catalog for treatments. There is a 75-minute massage, she wants that. Then she sees that they offer a vegan green tea facial, she'll get that as well.

"So, have you decided what you want?"

"Yes, I want to get massages first. Can we get them together?"

"I think so, look on that page for couples treatments."

The massage has Rachel and Quinn feeling like noodles. They hold hands as they sit in chaise lounges, getting ready for their facials.

"This is so relaxing. I can't feel anything." Quinn says airily.

"I feel like I'm floating. What is in that aromatherapy exactly?" Rachel says and they share a light laugh.

"Hey, I want to tell you something."

Rachel looks over at Quinn, now serious. "What is it? You're not dying are you? I knew this was too good to be true."

"What? No, Rachel. I've been close to choosing a project and the one I'm leaning towards starts filming after the holidays. I just wanted to let you know. Oh, also, I have another surprise for you when we get back to the Villa. I hope you don't kill me."

"Now I want to know what it is, tell me." Rachel whines.

Rachel has her patience tested once again as they get their facials while there is another surprise waiting for her at the Villa when they're done. She is relaxed, but she cannot wait to see what else Quinn has planned.

They get back to the house and Quinn walks her through the kitchen and out the door leading to the glorious backyard. There are apple trees and grapes on vines and an empty stable further down.

"So, what do you think?" Quinn says gesturing to their surroundings.

"What do I think about this yard? It's beautiful Quinn, but-" Rachel turns to look at the house and then back to Quinn. She didn't.

"I want this to be a place that we frequent often. I came here once and I stayed for three weeks, alone, back before Sarah was born. Tim was in France filming. It was calming, and I stayed drunk more than half of the time, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I fell in love with the scenery, the food, and people are genuinely nice here, as you saw last night. And the most important thing, many of them didn't know or care about who I was."

"Quinn, I don't know what to say, it's a beautiful house, I'm sorry, Villa. This weekend has been the greatest two days of my entire life, but that may not have anything to do about where I am. It was all about who I'm with. You're the woman I love with all my heart, so, whatever made you fall in love with this place I know will capture my heart as well."

"So you aren't pissed? I kind of just sprung a house on you."

"No, we're not moving out here or anything?"

"Oh no, no. This is just a place to escape the world whenever we want."

"Well, I think that's a stable correct?"

"Yes."

"Quinn, can we please get some horses? I know Sarah will be thrilled with that."

"I'll think about it, because we'll have to hire someone to take care of them when we're not here. I don't know if I want some stranger on my property without me here."

"Aw, please think about it. We can screen them or hire a company or something."

"I knew I should have taken the one without the stable." Quinn shakes her head as Rachel continues on about what kind of horses she wants to buy.

On the flight back home in the jet, Rachel sits snuggled up to Quinn as they nap.

They have to call Timothy when they get back to the house because they forgot their gate opener. He gets there in a few minutes with little Sarah and opens the gate for them. They all get inside and Quinn picks up Sarah to give her a big hug. Rachel holds out her hands when Sarah hops down and runs over to give her a big hug too.

"Whoa, what is that?" Timothy says pointing to Rachel's hand. He puts his hand over his mouth as he looks back and forth between Quinn and Rachel.

"Y-you proposed! You're engaged! Quinn why didn't you tell me?" He grabs them both and gives them a big hug.

"I wanted it to be a surprise, for everyone." Quinn says while taking Rachel's hand. She looks down at her daughter, who is looking up at them from her place in the middle of the crushing hug.

"So..." Tim pulls back. "When's the wedding?" He asks.

Rachel looks at Quinn with raised eyebrows. Quinn shrugs.

"We haven't talked about it yet."

* * *

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this story, it has truly been a wonderful journey. Thank you everyone for all of the support, especially when I didn't want to finish this story. If anyone thinks it shouldn't end here, this is the end of the story and I feel it works, but I mentioned before about a sequel. It will revolve around their planning the wedding among other things.


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